The Virtuous Sister
by Some1Else
Summary: Eager to regain her former glory, Luna investigates a disturbance while Celestia is absent. She soon becomes involved in a battle against an ancient evil creature, a member of Celestia's council, and a misguided pony all while trying to remain virtuous.
1. Regression

**The Virtuous Sister.**

**By Some1Else.**

**Chapter 1 : Regression.**

"I am not evil. I just made bad decisions," Luna muttered to herself.

Good and evil were abstract concepts that changed over time.

Luna clenched her jaw and ignored the looks she received from the two guards serving as her escort as she continued repeating the lessons she had been taught in rehab while on their journey to Ponyville.

"I will abide by the eight virtues. I am blessed with a position of leadership, and I shall maintain my _honor_ in the eyes of my people."

That was easier said than done. Most of her subjects were still wary around her and preferred to look at the ground instead of her when she spoke with them. Celestia had said that this was a natural response since Luna represented darkness. Her sister insisted that it was a gift since everypony took her so seriously. Of course, it didn't help that Luna's rebellion was still fresh in their minds since they believed that nothing personified an apocalypse better than a night that never ended. Plants would die, sleeping schedules would suffer, and the tides would behave differently. Those were all minor problems. Had Night Mare Moon succeeded, she would have undoubtedly found a way around them. There was no telling what she might have done after that. Luna knew it wouldn't have been good.

Her eye twitched. She tucked that thought away before she could dwell on it further and made herself focus on something else. It was a particularly dreary morning. Many of the citizens were still asleep. Mist clung to the ground, limiting their visibility. The iron lampposts were their beacons of light as they made their way through the town.

"I am blind. I am the embodiment of _justice_."

Yet no choice was ever made without some form of bias. Luna bit her bottom lip. It would be easier if she saw the world in black and white. There were far too many ways to interpret what she had learned. She had managed to hide her mental anguish from the doctors and mages facilitating her recovery after her defeat during her stay on the tropical Island of Hope in the Archipelago of Faith. The ponies there handled special cases and she was certainly no exception. Luna had said what everypony wanted to hear, which resulted in an early discharge. Celestia sensed Luna's charisma at work and ordered further treatment to take place in Canterlot. She had been so close to getting away from them.

"I carry _valor_ with me into every conflict."

Valor could quickly turn into humiliation. This was getting her nowhere. Luna took a deep breath.

"_Compassion, humility, sacrifice, honesty _and _spirituality!_" Luna blurted out a little louder than she intended.

"Are you okay, ma'am?" the taller escort known as Biggs asked hesitantly.

Luna nodded wearily. Adherence and memorization to several approved schools of thought had been a part of her boring curriculum. They were elective before she turned to the dark side, but Celestia made them required now. Luna chose to embrace the older virtue system instead of the path of harmony because she thought that the virtues were more her style. They were, but she couldn't stop pointing out their weaknesses.

Philosophy and logic existed to make sense out of the world, but the world was chaotic and there was no point in trying to make sense out of chaos. If that had been something she could have studied she definitely would have been on board with it, but anything associated with chaos was frowned upon these days. There was no way she would be like her sister at this rate. Celestia had always been better with internal affairs, keeping up her appearance, and all the other aspects of leadership.

"Too early in the morning for an emergency, right?" the shorter guard, Wedge, asked. "Nothin' quite like third shift, lemme tell ya."

An urgent message had arrived earlier requesting Celestia's presence at the hospital in Ponyville. The two earth colts with her now were on duty at the front gate when the messenger had arrived and had taken the sealed message to her themselves so that they could do something other than stand around for eight hours. Celestia was away on business. Luna had been told to relay any problems to her sister immediately while she was away since she wasn't technically in charge of anything yet even though nothing had been said to enforce that. Seeing an opportunity to act, Luna had decided to investigate the matter personally before bringing it to the attention of anypony else and the two colts eagerly agreed to accompany her.

The lights of the local hospital were lit up. Luna had traveled here on hoof, not one for fancy carriages like her sister. This was not a special occasion like Night Mare Night. Just before the trio reached the front door, Luna felt something heavy land on top of her and shove her muzzle into the mud with enough force to leave her dizzy. It felt like another pony, although Luna could see nothing but worms with her face buried in the ground. Her guards helped the pony off her back and pushed the citizen away from her. It was a good thing she was wearing a cloak or she would be filthy.

Luna stood up and turned to face whoever had crashed into her when another lesson came to her that she had to repeat to herself.

"_Compassion_. An accident is without fault."

Celestia required a written report from her at the end of each week detailing all the virtuous decisions she had made. Luna had to struggle to come up with things to write down. Celestia ate that stuff up. Luna swore that her sister could get excited over a shopping list. It was clearly time for some compassion and she rose to the occasion gratefully. Luna adjusted her cloak and took a step forward. The pony before her was a Pegasi with a yellow mane and a gray coat. She was carrying two brown saddlebags that were stuffed beyond their carrying capacity.

"Name, mark and occupation," Luna requested evenly.

"Mail Mare, Derpy Hooves, bubbles."

"Your name is Mail Mare and you do bubbles for a living?" Luna asked, raising an eyebrow.

She watched as the eyes of this particular pony did things that made her squint in empathy. Mail Mare looked at the guards and recognized she had just disturbed royalty.

"I'm not sure what the right answer is," she said quietly.

"Ma'am, this is Derpy Hooves," Biggs said. "Her vision is slightly impaired. I'm sure she didn't mean to hit you."

"I know. Mail Mare, please watch where you're going."

"I'm sorry. I didn't see you standing there," Derpy said.

Derpy took off her saddle bags and sat down in the mud for a moment. She reached inside the bag, took out a yellow form, and held it in front of Luna with her teeth.

"If you would like to submit a written complaint against me, please use this form. If you would like to submit a verbal complaint, take this form to our post office and speak with the postmaster," Derpy stated, her eyes spinning like a compass that couldn't figure out where north was.

"Since your diction is so well despite the fact that there is something in your mouth, I will let it slide. Carry on and do be more careful."

"Thank you, I will do my best."

Luna nodded and turned to her guards. It was time to get back to work.

"Stay here and don't let anypony enter unless it's an emergency." Luna instructed.

"Ma'am!" Biggs and Wedge replied simultaneously.

"Hey."

Luna turned to face Derpy Hooves, who was looking at the ground submissively.

"Yes, Mail Mare?"

"I have ten letters addressed to the hospital. They are also due to receive five packages today."

"I will deliver the mail for you. Go tell the postmaster to deliver the packages going to the hospital immediately."

"I don't know if he'll listen to me."

"Chin up, Mail Mare," Luna said, placing a hoof on Derpy's face and making her look her in the eye. "This is an order from Princess Luna."

Luna flicked the hood of her cloak off, revealing her face. Derpy's eyes centered for a moment to gaze upon Luna in awe and she swore she heard a subtle click when they did before they started spinning out of control again.

"Hail and good morrow, Princess Luna!" Derpy said, smiling broadly.

The princess had to roll her eyes at that. None of the ponies Luna had worked with had said anything about her use of the royal voice. Celestia didn't bother mentioning it either. She had thought that they were at fault, but chose not to correct them.

"Charmed and well met. The mail?" Luna asked.

"Oh, right!"

Derpy Hooves offered her saddlebag to Luna, who facehoofed and sighed in exasperation when she realized what was going on.

"I meant I would deliver the mail addressed to the hospital, not take over your route for you."

"Oh! Right."

Despite how disorganized the bag seemed to be, Derpy quickly took out ten envelopes. Luna used her magic to hold them suspended in front of her and made sure that they were the correct letters. Derpy took off towards the post office in a spiral that would make any other pony vomit. Miraculously, none of the mail in her bag fell out.

"I like her," Biggs said.

"Me too," Wedge agreed. "She keeps at it, you know? Really admirable."

"Yes, we'll give her a medal. Wait here until I'm finished, gentlecolts."

Luna released the spell on her cloak. A collection of bats flew off her back and began roosting on the roof of the hospital while cleaning off the mud on their bodies. Her guards gasped at the display of magic. They were not aware that her cloak was enchanted. Luna gave them a smile of reassurance and entered the hospital. For such a small settlement, Ponyville had some rather advanced establishments. No expense had been spared at the hospital, which was funded by tax and therefore free for all ponies. She knocked the mud off her hooves by stomping in place on the provided welcome mat. Luna then placed the mail on the receptionists' desk, who almost jumped out of her seat. She began trembling in fear at the sight of the princess.

"I am Princess Luna and I am here to see Nurse Redheart or Doctor Gesundheit. I have very important business with them," Luna said politely.

The receptionist ran off so fast she knocked over the chair she had been sitting on. Doctor Gesundheit and Nurse Redheart appeared a moment later. They both bowed down to her out of respect and seemed less bothered by her presence.

"Princess Luna, thank you for coming on such short notice. Is Princess Celestia with you?" Nurse Redheart asked.

"She is not. My sister is assisting with the development of another settlement."

"So you're in charge?" Doctor Gesundheit asked.

Her ears lowered for a moment.

"_Honesty_, because a lie does not live forever!" Luna muttered frantically.

"I beg your pardon?"

Luna cleared her throat.

"I would ask that you not question my authority. If this is indeed an emergency, Ponyville needs direction, which I am qualified to give."

She was starting to sweat a little. Redheart and Gesundheit looked at each other. They were clearly confused. Luna decided to gamble with them.

"If you believe the mayor can handle this, then I shall take my leave."

Luna turned to go.

"Wait!" Redheart shouted.

Redheart barred Luna from leaving. She stood on her hind legs and blocked the entrance with her body. Luna regarded her speculatively. Still upright, Redheart pushed Luna back a comfortable distance away from the door and then dropped down on all fours.

"Princess Luna, please forgive our rudeness. May we humbly request you follow us?" Redheart asked.

"But of course."

The receptionist appeared again and sat a box of surgical masks on her desk before cowering underneath the desk and shaking violently, holding her hooves over her head. Luna put on a mask. She had to stop herself from kicking the desk with her hind leg as they walked through the hospital, which was barren since Ponyville was a very healthy place.

"By the way, it sounds like your articulation has improved since Nightmare Night. You're not yelling at everypony anymore," Redheart said.

"Thank thee. I mean, thank you."

Fluttershy and Rarity had been helping her with that. Rarity only went along because Fluttershy was terrified of Luna, but lately she was not fainting as much in the middle of their lessons.

"The two patients are in the basement. They are suffering from some unknown ailment, which we do not believe is contagious. I must warn you, it is a little disturbing," Gesundheit stated.

"I believe I will be fine."

They walked down into the basement where supplies were stored. Gesundheit was clearly trying to hide whatever problem he had found. The two physicians stopped at a door next to the generator room and turned to Luna.

"We're here," Redheart said. "We kept them down here so they wouldn't disturb any of the other patients."

Luna entered the room first. Inside, she found the mayor of Ponyville and Cheerilee, two mares she had previously become acquainted with. The mayor did not have her glasses with her and was currently trying to eat her bedsheets while Cheerilee stood in one place and drooled. Their quarters were cramped, but the physicians had done their best to make them comfortable. Remnants of hay were on the ground and a bucket of water had been overturned. Luna noticed that neither of them had their cutie marks.

"I'm going to get more hay," Nurse Redheart said, leaving the scene eagerly.

Luna approached Cheerilee, who neighed and walked away from her. She was shocked. Cheerilee had neighed. At her, a princess. It was both vulgar and extremely insulting, but Luna let it slide. She turned to the mayor, who cocked her hind leg before Luna could even think of getting too close. They were making so many social faux pas that Luna could do nothing but stare ahead blankly as her mind tried to process what was happening. Even fillies knew better than to behave in this manner.

"I don't think they know what they're doing," Doctor Gesundheit said.

"They most certainly had better not!" Luna roared. "Do you see that? Doctor, do you see that?"

Luna pointed at the mayor's cocked leg with one of her hooves.

"You should have been here when we brought in the hay. They rolled in it," Doctor Gesundheit said.

"I do not believe I need to even ask if you have run tests on them."

"We did. None of them revealed anything. There's minor bruising and lacerations all over their bodies. These two were attacked by something other than a pony in their homes, which were in disarray. Their cutie marks are gone, which I believe suggests that magic might have been involved."

"Indeed. What about their behavior?"

"They are not speaking. They communicate in all of the gestures we deem abrasive. Typically, mentally disturbed ponies will act like this while undergoing recovery, but they do not do so for very long and something like this does not happen to a pony overnight."

"One moment, doctor."

Luna took off her mask, closed her eyes and used her magic. She reached out to Cheerilee telepathically, searching for her. Luna found nothing. Cheerilee's very essence was completely gone. Only a primitive hollow shell remained. She cast a major healing spell on Cheerilee, which had no effect. Luna's trance was broken when Mayor Mare headbutted her in the side and bit her neck. She cried out in pain and backed away. It was all Luna could do to keep her composure as the mayor walked over to Cheerilee and shielded her with her body.

"I've seen enough," Luna said quietly.

Redheart and the skittish receptionist went back into the room to drop off more hay as Doctor Gesundheit stepped out into the hallway to stand beside Luna, who was deep in thought.

"Would you like me to take a look at that?"

"I'm fine."

Luna cast minor healing spell. The bite hadn't even broken her skin and would heal quickly.

"Did anypony see what happened to them?"

"No. A concerned citizen found them like this an hour ago. Redheart, Bon-Bon, and myself managed to get them here. Sedatives were involved."

"Who found them?"

"Derpy Hooves."

"Mail Mare," Luna said in recognition. "Did she say anything?"

"Nothing useful, I'm afraid. She said they were acting silly and that she wanted me to come take a look at them. Derpy's a fairly modest mare, so I figured it was serious."

"Do you know her well enough to be sure she won't say anything?"

"I asked her not to. She won't."

"I will take your word for it, doctor. I will look into this matter further and I will let you know what I discover. I will also send a squad down here to patrol Ponyville. If you find another pony like this, send word immediately."

"Good luck, Princess Luna," Doctor Gesundheit said, bowing one final time.

"Don't worry, doctor. I'll be fine."


	2. Neutral Evil

**Chapter 2 : Neutral Evil.**

Out in the lobby, the packages that were scheduled for delivery had arrived and were waiting to be unboxed. Luna stepped outside. The bats on the roof flew down to her back, transforming into a cloak once more. Biggs and Wedge were where she had left them. Another citizen was in the company of the two guards, waiting expectantly to be addressed.

"Ma'am, you have a visitor," Biggs said.

"This is Zecora. She's like a voodoo alchemist priestess, or something," Wedge added.

Zecora lifted her head at the mention of her name.

"We've met," Luna told Wedge. "Zecora, you have my attention, but do be brief as I am in a hurry."

"This morning has found me rather bleak for the magical barrier over the Everfree Forest has grown quite weak."

"What?" Wedge shouted, looking frantic.

"Wake up the whole town, would you?" Luna asked.

Zecora did not need to elaborate. The Everfree Forest was vast, deep, and had yet to be fully explored. A few years ago, a group of esteemed cartographers and geologists had made a royally commissioned journey to get an idea of how far it spread. They were in the company of soldiers hoof picked by Celestia and they had walked along the edge of the forest. There was no way around the forest on land. Bad things would often happen to those who tried to fly over it. They would lose their sense of direction and become lost for days if they were lucky to live through the ordeal. Celestia did not believe it was entirely wise to send a boat around the lake that branched into the ocean so they could sail around it.

Celestia and Luna used to scare themselves silly by having their father tell them stories regarding the forest. Their grandfather had once tried to cut a path through it, but failed and barely escaped with his life. Back in those days, it was not uncommon for hostile creatures to come wandering out of the forest. Citizens had also noted that the forest was actually growing towards them. Something needed to be done. A court mage named Nicodemus offered to sacrifice himself by channeling all of his energy into a single spell that would keep all the evil beasts within the forest and offer a small measure of protection to any pony who wandered inside. His idea was accepted and a shrine was built in his honor within the forest itself where his body currently resided.

Luna had once been to his shrine when she was a filly. It was possible to see Nicodemus sleeping in his sarcophagus, which was prominently displayed in the middle of the main chamber. The entire experience disturbed her greatly. He probably still hadn't aged a day. She had lost her taste for honey that day since the shrine was full of it. Nicodemus had been rather fond of the sweet nectar while he was alive, so it had become a tradition to leave jars of honey in the shrine in recognition of his sacrifice for Equestria. She didn't sleep for three days after that field trip.

"Five ponies did I also find, each who seems to have lost their mind."

This probably had something to do with the weakening of the magical barrier. Luna wasn't sure what creature could have managed to do that, but it would have had to have been extremely powerful. Most beasts that got a little too close to the shrine were automatically turned into stone, a rather popular form of punishment throughout Equestria since it was so easy and permanent.

"We're having a problem with that right now, actually. I'm sending soldiers down the moment I get back to Canterlot. Have Gesundheit and Redheart help you bring those ponies here. Try to be discrete about it. Do you have any idea what might have caused this?" Luna asked.

"In this area I am quite proficient, but I regrettably know nothing sufficient."

"Ma'am, may I ask what's going on?" Biggs asked.

Luna explained the whole situation to them. They took it a little better than she expected.

"What if it's airborne? We're already doomed!" Wedge said, covering his nose.

"Calm down. Gesundheit believes it might be magical and I am inclined to agree with him. Zecora, your home is actually inside the forest, is it not?" Luna asked.

Zecora nodded. Though the spell Nicodemus had bound himself to was extremely powerful, it was still a generally poor idea to venture into the forest without some form of protection. This did not stop Zecora from living inside of it.

"Have the inn give you a room on my credit until I have solved this issue. If they refuse, tell them I will deal with them personally."

Luna was racking up so many virtue points that she would be able to write about the same day for two weeks.

"It pleases me to see how you have recovered, a great deal I am sure you have discovered."

"If you say so. Good day, Zecora."

She left with her two guards while Zecora headed towards the local inn.

"Where to now, ma'am? The library?" Biggs asked, getting a little more comfortable with talking to Luna.

"I do not believe that Twilight Sparkle has been entrusted with a book that has the knowledge we seek."

"We're gonna have to go to the shrine and investigate, aren't we?" Wedge asked nervously.

"Thanks for volunteering. Take Biggs with you."

"Good one, Wedge," Biggs remarked.

"Oh, rotten apples!" Wedge groaned.

Luna stopped and faced them both with a stern look on her face.

"So this is the might of the Royal Army of Canterlot?" Luna demanded.

They straightened up, their fear gone.

"No, ma'am!"

Luna left it at that and continued on her way. Biggs and Wedge hastily changed their formation so they were in front of Luna and tried to act like they had signed up to do more than just mind the store. Luna knew she had to act very quickly to take advantage of the situation. A visit to the Forbidden Archives kept beneath the royal library was out of the question as that would take far too long. Besides, that might call unnecessary attention to herself. Celestia's council was already leery around her. What she had in mind wasn't any better. Desperate times called for desperate measures and she was not looking forward to the next step in her plan, which she had not completely thought out yet. Luna took everything one step at a time.

It did not take long to make their way back to the castle. They did so in silence. Her guards were obviously still embarrassed and did not know what to say to redeem themselves. One of the soldiers at the gate attempted to take her cloak, only to get a face full of bats as they disengaged and flew to a nearby cave where they could rest. Luna stood in the courtyard and looked up at the sky. It should have been morning, but the clouds were blocking any sunlight from shining through.

The door to the castle opened ahead of them. Athena, Celestia's personal adviser, came out to meet Luna. She was dressed garishly, wearing an outfit that looked like the world's most hideous rainbow. Athena was not fond of Luna and the feeling was mutual. She had been appointed to her current position after Luna had been banished and was a mere earth pony possessing nothing more than her intellect. It had become clear very quickly that her position was mostly for show. Celestia never failed to keep up her appearance. It was sickening. According to multiple sources, Athena hardly ever suggested anything Celestia followed through with.

"Welcome back. Taking a stroll, I presume?" Athena ventured.

Athena never addressed Luna by her name or her title.

"They say it's bad to exercise right before you go to bed, you know."

Luna kept quiet while Athena circled her. She could not think of anything to say that Athena wouldn't counter with scathing snark.

"Do you even sleep?"

Humility was the only thing keeping her from knocking the spit out of Athena's mouth.

"The Princess is feeling restless," Biggs said confidently.

"Yeah, jet lag and all that. There's like, what, a six hour difference between here and the Ar. . .arca. . .Buncha Little Islands of Faith?" Wedge pitched in.

Athena had to laugh at that. It was an arrogant, haughty laugh that made Luna's hair stand on end.

"It certainly is taking her a while to recover, is it not?" she asked.

"Lag sticks with you," Wedge replied.

"I can see why you are on third shift," Athena said. She then turned to face Luna. "Please don't let me keep you from anything."

She gestured for Luna to walk passed her back into the castle, which was exactly where she didn't want to go. In this manner, Luna could clearly see that Athena was trying to keep her boxed up inside until Celestia returned. Luna humored Athena for the moment and went inside the castle with her guards.

"Sometimes I wonder if she's really a gelding," Wedge muttered.

Biggs stifled a laugh and Luna smiled. She stopped in the main hall. The front door was still open and Luna could see Athena watching her from the exact same place she had been before. If her powers as a princess had been restored, it would be relatively easy to stop the meddlesome adviser from acting this way.

"You two are dismissed. Keep quiet, I can handle this myself," Luna said quickly.

"Ma'am," they both said with a slight bow.

As Luna walked up to her room, her ears picked up something Wedge whispered to Biggs.

"That was pretty cool. I think she's all right," Wedge said as he closed the entrance to the castle.

"Can't say that I could argue. I hope she thinks of something quick, though," Biggs replied.

Luna walked to the window overlooking the gardens. From this point, she could see the statue of Discord. If Athena wasn't riding her back, she could go out there right now, get this matter of business finished, and send soldiers to Ponyville. Discord's face was still frozen in a horrified expression. It looked just like he had finally realized how overconfident he was. His mouth suddenly closed and he winked at Luna, who gasped and backed away. Luna shook her head and looked again. The statue was still once more.

She went to her room and waited a full hour before making her next move. It was agonizing. Luna was tormented by the thought that the information would leak out prematurely. They would then begin to wonder why she had not said something sooner. Why did she refuse to notify her sister? To take all the glory for herself? Pride was not a virtue or an element. Was it pride? Was wanting her people to have faith in her a bad thing? Could she not impress them by doing the responsible thing and sending word to Celestia?

Those were horrid thoughts. She was trying to display valor by being brave in the face of danger. It was honorable for her to risk this much to show all of them what she was truly capable of. Then again, she could be wrong. The virtues could be twisted and turned in a thousand different ways. Before she went insane debating morality with herself, Luna cast a spell that provided her with a surge of adrenaline. This would keep her weariness at bay for six hours and make it difficult for her to sleep the following morning. When she believed enough time had passed, she opened her window and jumped out, using her wings to keep herself in the air. Luna closed the window and floated down to the area below. Nopony had seen her do this.

The guards on patrol didn't mind that she was out and about. Whatever the princess wanted to do was her business and her business alone. She made sure the garden was empty before she went to Discord. He probably wasn't going to make this very easy for her. She needed to be close to him for this to work. Normally this sort of activity would have been monitored by Celestia and several other higher ranking members of her precious court. Unauthorized visitations were strictly forbidden. In order to confer with him, she would need to join him in the Ether, a purgatory of sorts that all beings found themselves in when they were magically incapacitated.

Love and toleration. There was no death in Celestia's Equestria that was not caused by old age. From across the way, she would be clearly visible from the hall overlooking the gardens near the room where Celestia had previously stored the elements. It served no purpose other than that and was not exactly visited as much as many of the other rooms inside the castle. She hid herself as best as she could and laid down on the ground. Luna could say that she fainted, but that might not fool everypony. That was also lying. So much for honesty.

Luna lowered her head. She began the spell and directed it at Discord. Her heartbeat slowed. A fog of haziness overcame her. Luna leaned towards the statue and felt herself move into it as her physical body collapsed in a sprawled heap. She needed to make this quick. If Athena found out she was speaking with Discord, Luna would have to explain to her sister why she had done so in the first place and why she had withheld information regarding the current situation at Ponyville. She would likely be giving this speech behind bars. In the dungeon.

This really needed to be worth the risk.

**X**

Creatures in the Ether were free to control the dreams they had in their endless sleep. Discord was currently at rest, which was evident by the void Luna found herself floating in.

"Discord, hear me!" Luna shouted as loud as she possibly could.

The veil of blackness suddenly became outer space. Luna looked down at the familiar lifeless gravel. She was once again on the moon. Discord was obviously wasting no time connecting with her. That was fairly dangerous. She looked around and could see nothing, although she did note with fair disdain that her planet had been replaced with a giant block of mozzarella cheese.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Princess Luna," Discord said.

Luna turned around. He was sitting on a throne a great distance away from her. Luna began walking towards him, but as she did he went farther away. She narrowed her eyes and stopped entertaining him.

"This place is absolutely awful. You were really here for a thousand years? Let's spice it up."

Discord snapped his fingers. It suddenly began raining bits of ground cinnamon, which was impossible primarily because the moon had no atmosphere, but this was Discord and she was in his world now.

"Let me introduce you to my jester."

Twilight Sparkle abruptly appeared. She had the same eyes as Mail Mare.

"I'm going to defeat you, Discord!" Twilight declared, drooling slightly.

"Oh, I doubt that."

She began sneezing profusely as the cinnamon got in her nose. Luna held a hoof over her own nose to keep it shielded from the attack.

"I never tire of this," Discord said, watching Twilight Sparkle try to get at him. "So, how's your father doing?"

It took all of her resilience to remain indifferent towards that comment.

"You know why I'm here," a different voice said.

Luna blinked. She had said the words, but they had not come out of her mouth. To her left was Applejack, complete save for one detail.

"You forgot to add the freckles," Applejack said in place of Luna as Luna gestured to her face.

"A minor detail. What makes you possibly think that I would want to help you?"

Applejack exploded into confetti. Luna's voice was once again her own.

"For starters, I could tell Celestia that you can still use your magic despite being encased in stone and she would put you on display somewhere else in a room that nullifies magic. Secondly, I could also ask her to lighten your sentence."

"What, from an eternity to a lifetime? Luna, you are bargaining very poorly. If you don't try harder, the readers are going to be disappointed. They're right! I'm not that easy."

"Who are you talking about?"

"Never mind. Continue with what you were saying."

"You know how Celestia is. She would grant a reprieve."

"For you, perhaps. Not me."

"My resolve is not shaken!" Twilight exclaimed.

Twilight's face was swollen since she had been sneezing so much, but she was still trying her best to reach Discord. He waved his claw dismissively. The moon underwent a beautiful transformation from a barren wasteland to a forest in the middle of autumn. Twilight was no longer with them. Leaves fell all around them and a cool breeze blew through the area. It was shocking that Discord would create such a scene, but it gave her some ideas for her argument against him.

"Exactly when did she grant me a reprieve?" Luna asked.

"No wonder you had to come to me for help! Fine, I'll give you this one free of charge. You owe a lot to Twilight Sparkle. If not for her, Celestia would have put you back on the moon again. Neither you nor your sister can use the Elements of Harmony, but Twilight Sparkle and her friends can. They are the _only _ponies who can. That's key. The Elements dispelled your curse. See? You're her sister, for goodness sake! Are you not aware that she is very manipulative?"

It made perfect sense, but at the same time she couldn't believe it. Discord was trying to distract her. Luna struggled to remain focused.

"I might be able to convince her that you are not entirely evil."

Discord had a great laugh at that, rocking his chair back and forth.

"If you really were chaos personified, you would destroy everything you had power over. Instead, you are a simple draconequus, perhaps the last of your kind, who happens to be quite adapt at the lost form of chaotic magic, a talent you use purely for your own amusement. Tell me this. Why did you never _kill_ anypony? Allow me to answer that for you. That would spoil the fun. Am I wrong?"

"Maybe, but I am intrigued by your point. Go on, if you would please."

"The use and appreciation of logic suggests you are not a true spirit of chaos. If such a thing existed, it would be a Lich. I actually tried to persuade Celestia to keep you on as an adviser because your perception of the world is insightful. There is no point in order. We only follow the rules to keep from getting into trouble by those who set the rules."

"Exactly! However, you and Celestia both know what I would do if I were released."

"Make water sprout up from the ground so we could expand into the Desert of Despair without the aid of the Pegasus ponies? Assist in the examination of the relics recovered from the Cave of Confusion? Still the Sea of Wrath so we can see what lies beyond the vast ocean to the east?"

"No, more like turn Celestia into a pig with one wing so I can watch her try to fly when I throw her off of small hills and condemn Twilight Sparkle and all of her friends to sneeze continuously until I can think of something worse. You obviously know very little about chaos magic, but you may be right about a shred of altruism still existing somewhere within me. Obviously I am not a true master of this form of magic as I once thought. It has been a while since I have been treated to a conversation like this and while your argument does need work, I suppose I can help you just this once since you have sympathized with me so generously. However, if you ever come back, you had better have something more to offer me or I'll make you work to get out of my Ether and I do expect you to put in a good word for me with Celestia."

A couch came out of nowhere and crashed into Luna, flipping her into the air a couple of times against all the laws of physics before she landed on her back in a daze. While she waited for her eyes to adjust, she wondered if this was how Mail Mare saw the world. Discord's throne moved closer to her. He put on a set of reading glasses and took out a clipboard and a pencil.

"Tell me what you know and I'll see what I can do," Discord requested.

Luna relayed her experience to him with as much detail as she possibly could. Once she finished, Discord took a brief moment to think about what he had been told.

"Your search brought up ten hits in the bestiary, which is somewhat outdated as I have been in the Ether for quite a while. If I had to hazard a guess, I would assume that it is a Malum_. _At least, that's what they're supposed to be called. It's part of the old tongue. I'm not certain what the modern translation would be. Anyway, they absorb souls like a sponge in order to obtain knowledge and the Everfree Forest would be the best home for one of them. It is speculated that they are not of this world and encounters with them suggest that they are part of some sort of collective hive mind, which is potentially malevolent and most certainly indifferent."

"Sounds like the perfect pet for you."

"Indeed, but they are rare, much like many of the things that threaten your pecking order."

"What do you mean when you say that they might not be of this world?"

"Who knows? Perhaps somepony summoned one here. Maybe one of them found its way to Equestria through some rift in another dimension. Is it really that important to know why, Luna?"

"What kind of a stupid question is. . ."

Luna sat up on her rear, an awkward position for a pony. A leaf fell on her muzzle, which she quickly brushed off.

"Hold on. They absorb souls? Does that not imply that the soul and brain are separate?"

"Ah, an argument for the ages. From what you described the victims were following rudimentary brain functions. Those could have been left behind because they were not needed or yes, the soul and brain are indeed separate. Hey, what if all your knowledge is a part of your soul? Now there's a thought. You would have to ask the Malum, although I wouldn't recommend trying to negotiate with it. What intrigues me the most is that the marks of those ponies vanished. I wonder if that means that your marks are tied to your souls."

"They define us. It would make sense."

Discord was clearly enjoying this. He suddenly grinned deviously as he thought of something else, but he chose not to say anything. Judging by the expression, it had to be something important.

"Any other clues, Discord?"

A clock began to chime from somewhere unseen. Discord smiled arrogantly. The world around them began to darken slowly.

"I'm afraid that's all we have time for today. Do mention to Celestia that the Ether could be considered a form of torture as life gets quite boring without challenges. Remember, you had better bring me something better than an argument the next time you visit me, which might happen sooner than you think. I'll let you go without a challenge this time. Do take care, Luna. It would break my heart to see you reduced to a zompony."

The world became a black void once more. Discord had gone back to sleep. Luna broke their connection. She fell from the statue back into her own body, waking up gently. That had taken longer than she thought. Luckily, nopony had come by and she would have been hard to see from the castle due to the position of the statue.

"A Malum," Luna whispered to herself.

At least she had a name. She went over everything Discord had said for a moment and then recalled something about a curse. What had that been all about? Did her jealousy not have anything to do with her transformation into Night Mare Moon? If only there were other beings she could converse with who knew as much as Discord did. Luna was aware that some censorship had been involved in the history of the ponies. Initially that did not seem very virtuous or harmonious, but like anything a case could be made for it. It was _kind _to keep certain things from the ponies that might upset them. It was _compassionate _to ensure that they were free from worry. They weren't lies, they were selective truths.

She was getting distracted. Luna narrowed her eyes in determination. She was getting closer to her goal by the second. Ponyville would respect her if she could fix this problem.

"Be here now, Luna," she ordered herself. "You can't afford to second guess everything right now."

With that, she galloped toward the castle. Now that she had a name, her destination was the Forbidden Archives. It was time to learn what Discord wasn't telling her.


	3. Luna x Athena

**Chapter 3 : Luna x Athena.**

To access the archives, one needed to be on the list of those authorized to do so and request the assistance of the head librarian. The key to get to the archives was kept in one of the books, which was changed regularly and hidden inside of a cypher. The key itself was not a physical object. It was a teleportation spell. The physical location of the archives was underneath the castle itself. After it had been built, it was sealed away. A magical barrier protected it. Without the proper code, the teleportation spell would fail. Two ponies were borrowing a few novels when Luna reached the front desk. They gave her a frightened glance and were not reassured by her slight smile. Litty Tear, the ancient caretaker of the library, was assisting them. She had been old a thousand years ago thanks to her bloodline, which made her related to key members of the royal family, but now it was getting a little ridiculous. Back in the day, she had been an adviser to their father.

"Back again, Luna?" Litty asked as she sent her patrons on their way.

"This is the first time I've been here today, Litty."

"My, you've grown so much since I last saw you. It never ceases to amaze me."

"Thank you, Litty. I – "

"You were so little. I'm glad you're finally back. Celestia missed you deeply."

Luna chuckled darkly and grinned.

"If that were the case, don't you think that – "

"I remember the first time you saw the moon. You weren't yet old enough to understand the ways of the world, yet somehow your mark appeared anyway. It was a miracle."

Tears began forming in Litty's eyes. Luna had to be nice, but she was in a hurry.

"Could you take me to the archives, please?"

Litty frowned skeptically, a rather bad sign.

"Were you not in there the other day?"

"Litty, I'm sorry, but like I said, this is my first visit."

"Really? I do apologize. Sometimes I don't remember things as well as I do other times these days."

"Don't say that, it's nothing. Can we go there? Now?"

"Of course. Just let me close the doors. I can tell that we're alone. The library hasn't been very busy this month."

Litty moved very slowly. Luna quickly closed and locked the doors to the library for her, smiling eagerly.

"Thank you, child," Litty said.

That saved them about ten minutes. Litty moved through the library with Luna at her side, going on and on about all the embarrassing stories concerning Luna that she could remember, including the time Celestia had convinced her the entire west hall was haunted. Luna tuned her out and felt herself begin to sweat. She was two seconds away from carrying Litty to wherever they were going. Litty suddenly stopped and tilted her head in confusion for a moment before smiling.

"Right, right. This is where the old trigger was. The new one is actually on the other side."

Luna cried out in exasperation.

"Can we skip the formalities? What's the call number of the trigger?" Luna requested.

"Ah, youth. It goes by so quickly. Life does not slow down until you are my age, which is a pity. Very well, my filly. I can see that this is urgent. The call number is DC 1.238."

"Thanks!"

She spread her wings and shot into the air with enough force to knock a few books off their shelves. Luna almost crashed into the chandelier above her. She soared toward the aisle containing the book and landed almost directly in front of it. The volume was only twenty pages long, but it was bound thickly. The call number directed Luna to the spell hidden among the pages since the method to locate it had not changed in her absence.

Luna placed the volume back where she had found it and cast the spell. In an instant, she was deep underground. The usual disorientation associated with blinking, the slang term for teleporting a short distance, was as present as ever. Luna held steady for a moment while it passed. The deathly quiet room was devoid of light until Luna cast an illumination spell. A large box full of the necessary supplies for making a torch were to her right. While such a task seemed impossible to the animals blessed with thumbs, it was easy for ponies to do such things thanks to the enchanted bit of iron they wore inside their hooves. It was not strictly magnetic, but it attracted many of the tools they worked with, allowing them to be manipulated a little easier. Earth ponies would have been at a loss without it. Certain materials could be used to hold specific spells indefinitely. The entrance and exit to the archive was bonded to an obsidian platform. Strangely enough, she believed Nicodemus had been involved in the construction of this lair. It was a shame that they were out of innovators these days.

She lit and placed a few torches near the reading desk, which was fashioned out of granite. The room suppressed this light and she needed to use an illumination spell to see where she was going. There were twenty shelves three stacks high lined with thirty books each. Four of them were in use while the others waited eagerly for the secrets they would guard. Three composition books were sitting atop the first shelf, all of them containing Celestia's distinctive writing. These were her personal notes, mostly dealing with her pet project, Ponyville. There was a reason why there were more mares than stallions in that city and while Luna was curious, she chose not to read through them.

Luna passed books containing proposals for various forms of government, hidden treasury reports, classified logs from explorers who had gone beyond the borders of Equestria, and a variety of other goodies deemed unfit for consumption by the general public. A spot on the shelf was missing the complete unedited encyclopedia of ancient terrors Equestria had faced during its extensive past, which had been kept here so the populace would have even more of a reason to rely on those within the family that ruled it without question. Luna looked closer and saw a simple piece of fabric discarded on the shelf. It was purple and contained one yellow star and several other stars of varying sizes in different shades of blue. Whoever had taken the book actually had left something behind that would identify them. Luna was thrilled with her luck.

Had Litty not mentioned Luna had been to the library recently? Somepony must have entered the castle posing as her and duped Litty into allowing them to come here. Unless the imposter was found, Luna could easily be blamed for this leak. But why steal a bestiary, of all things? Could the thief know something about the Malum? Now was not the time to jump to conclusions. She placed the calling card in her vest. Perhaps there was somepony who could help her identify the thief with it. If not, Luna would have to rely on brute force to stop the Malum, a prospect that did not seem entirely ideal.

It was time to send an armed platoon of guards to Ponyville so the citizens could be protected. Luna blinked back to the library and intercepted the first servant she found in the hallway who was cleaning a window. The irony present in the fact her cutie mark was also a window escaped Luna.

"This is an emergency. Sound the alarm and send word to Twilight Sparkle immediately!"

"Twilight is gone. She's with Princess Celestia."

"What?" Luna shouted. "What about the other five?"

"They're gone too. They're assisting with the development of the new settlement."

"Why?"

"Since they are all the embodiment of the elements, Celestia believes that their input in the structure of the town would be invaluable."

"You must be joking! Isn't that what her jaded adviser is for?"

"I was thinking the same thing, actually."

They couldn't count on the Elements of Harmony for help. That was a bit distressing. They might manage without them. Harder battles had been won with far less. A particular weapon hidden in the armory suddenly came to mind. Luna tucked it away for now.

"In any case, I need all of our available guards to assemble in the courtyard this instant."

The servant dropped what she was doing and galloped to the bell tower while Luna went to the courtyard and waited anxiously for the chime. Three gongs reverberated throughout the castle and surrounding area. This summoned every single guard, even those who were not on duty and were relaxing in the barracks. They had all gone through numerous exercises that guaranteed they would all be ready for duty within twenty minutes of the bell sounding no matter where they were in Canterlot.

None of them seemed thrilled or confident that they were addressing Luna. A sizable force consisting of the finest warriors in Equestria were now at her disposal, as were ten captains and the general of their army. Stragglers were arriving and finding their own place within the ranks, but Luna decided that the remaining stallions could be briefed later.

"Soldiers of Canterlot! There is a creature assaulting Ponyville that is turning the citizens into mindless savages. The same enemy in question may have also desecrated the Shrine of Nicodemus in the Everfree Forest. Finally, there has been a theft from within the castle and the culprit must be located quickly. I need one captain and twenty-five soldiers. Twenty will build a perimeter around Ponyville and gather information concerning the thief while the remaining five will accompany me to the shrine to search for clues."

They looked confused. Predictable. Just as Luna was about to take any questions, a rather sharp laugh ruined her opportunity to do so. Athena. She was in the company of two arch mages and the pony with the window cutie mark. This was not going to end well. The garishly dressed adviser walked in front of Luna and attempted to stare her down without success while the soldiers began conversing with each other quietly as they tried to figure out what was going on.

"What do you think you're doing?" Athena asked.

"Protecting our citizens. What does it look like I'm doing?"

"I'm not sure. Where is your proof that Ponyville is in danger?"

It became evident that Athena was trying to steal her fire. Luna had destroyed the original message once she had read it to prevent this from happening. In hindsight, that didn't seem like such a fabulous idea. Then again, it was catch twenty-two. Athena could get her for withholding information or burning an important message. Luna was screwed no matter what so long as Athena could pretend she was in charge, which she undoubtedly would.

"I have seen it for myself."

"And we are to rely on the word alone of Night Mare Moon?"

Luna said nothing. Anything she tried to say would be countered viciously by Athena. She had to choose her words carefully if she wanted to talk her way out of this.

"Why were you conversing with Discord?"

That sent a ripple through the soldiers. The general and the captains were beginning to lose faith in her. She must have been sighted by the pony who helped clean the windows of the castle, who was hiding behind one of the unicorn court mages. Denying it would only serve to dig her grave even deeper.

"Or did you fall asleep? Were you sleeping in the garden?"

Athena was trying to catch her in a lie.

"I asked for his help," Luna admitted.

Luna bit her bottom lip. She should not have said that, but it was too late to take it back.

"Help? From him? Help with what? Some grand scheme of yours? How are we to know that joining Discord in his Ether has not in some way contaminated you mentally?"

"Are you implying that Discord is absolutely evil?" Luna asked calmly.

Athena guffawed, a hint of weakness.

"Are you or are you not, Athena?"

"I am."

"A sweeping generalization. He could have done a lot more to us than what he did, yet instead he played the role of a jester, turning our world upside down for his own amusement."

"And that is not a bad thing? By the way, what you just said was an appeal to emotion."

"Which makes both of us idiots! So what?"

"It pains me to do this, but I must suggest that you be detained. I will see what has happened to Ponyville and as Princess Celestia's personal adviser, I will decide what needs to be done. Until then, I am confining you to the dungeon as I believe you are still under the influence of your old persona."

"You do not have the authority to do that!"

"Well, we can't just let you wander around. All Discord had to do was _touch _Fluttershy and she was lost to Twilight Sparkle. Who knows what he has done to you?"

"Athena, so help me. . ." Luna said, a dangerous rage building inside of her.

"Mages, please make this easier for everypony."

The two unicorn ponies stepped forward, preparing to cast a spell of some sort.

"No! Stop!" Luna shouted frantically. "You have to trust me!"

Luna was losing her chance to redeem herself. She knew Celestia would release her the moment she heard her side of the story, but by then Athena may have taken care of the matter herself. The fact still remained that she had spoken with Discord and Celestia did not cut him nearly as much slack as Luna did. That would remain a point of contention between them and it would only be something she could fix if she managed to defeat the Malum herself, which was becoming highly unlikely.

The two unicorn ponies hesitated, uncertain of themselves. Nopony was going to intervene unless they absolutely had to. Right now, they did not know who to believe. That meant they at least had some faith in Luna, which was reassuring.

"Do not allow her to fool you," Athena said.

Should she try to run? Would that not make her appear guilty? It would, but she might just get away. However, should she attempt to fly away, the mages would most certainly do their best to disable her. They would want to keep her where she was until they decided for themselves what action they should take. Athena was looking a bit irritated since this was taking so long. Luna made her decision.

"Very well. I will voluntarily confine myself. Athena, I wish you the best of luck and I urge you to be careful."

She momentarily considered giving Athena the cloth she had found in the archives, but that would make it easy.

"I will lock myself in my own cell. I only need one of you to ensure that I am safely imprisoned. Who among you will go with me?"

"I shall accompany you," Athena said.

That sounded about as fun as breathing nothing but helium for ten minutes.

"May I ask the mages you have brought with you to oversee this?" Luna requested, looking directly at them.

They nodded wordlessly. Athena wouldn't pull anything funny with them there. Luna turned to the crowd.

"You are all dismissed," Luna stated.

None of them moved. They couldn't figure out whether they had just witnessed a comedy or a tragedy. Luna walked back inside the castle and headed into the basement. The cells were rarely used these days and came with plenty of amenities. Prisoners who wound up in the castle dungeon were treated well until their actual sentence was handed down from Celestia herself. It had been quite a while since somepony had been down here since the latest big scandal had something to do with copyright infringement between two famous playwrights. That would be taken care of by their local court unless the decision was successfully appealed.

Luna walked into the first cell she saw while Athena fetched the keys since the guard on duty was still in the courtyard with everypony else. Luna closed the barred door and Athena locked it.

"Since she can use magic, one of you will need to stay down here for a shift. I will have two additional guards come down on rotation to ensure that she does nothing funny. Nullify her cell just in case," Athena instructed.

Neither of them objected. The mages worked together to put a hex around the small area that would absorb magic. This was a complex task and it took them a few minutes to do so. When they finished, one left while the other stood guard. Luna's adrenaline shot was immediately dispelled and she became quite exhausted. The magic that made her mane so fabulous was also taken away, returning her hair to normal. Furthermore, she was robbed of the enchantment that made her look like a member of royalty and quickly morphed back into a regular looking alicorn, which was quite humiliating. Athena smiled, satisfied with what she had done. Luna could see she was trying to think of some witty line to say before she left.

"See you later, Night Mare Moon," was all Athena could muster.

Luna sneered. That was pathetic. Athena left the dungeon. All Luna could do now was wait and hope somepony would come to their senses. That was probably going to take a while. Faith in her people. The same ponies she had terrorized for less than a day. It was all she had left at this point. Luna crawled into bed and closed her eyes, hoping that Athena could not do this on her own.


	4. Faith

**Chapter 4 : Faith.**

"Wake up, ma'am!" a voice urged.

She stirred and sat up in bed, the muscles and bones in her hind legs adjusting themselves beneath her skin to accommodate this new position, which was otherwise impossible for most quadrupeds lacking their ludicrous skeletal structure that made even them wonder how exactly they were able to do some of the things they could do. Her eyes took a moment to focus.

"Biggs?" Luna asked.

"And Wedge," Wedge replied as he appeared with a key ring in his mouth.

"Is that really you, ma'am?"

"Yes. Athena had me temporarily disenchanted. This is what I look like normally."

"Good enough for me. Wedge, get her out of there."

Wedge began going through the keys one by one in an attempt to find the right one to unlock the door. Luna could sense that the nullifying field had been taken down. A different court mage was standing across from the cell, but she wasn't paying any attention to what was going on.

"Ma'am, Athena has been gone for hours. Since Celestia isn't here and you're currently locked up, the general of the army has assumed command. A message has been sent to Celestia, but I don't think we can afford to wait for her."

"Is anypony hurt?" Luna asked, jumping out of bed.

"I can't say. Canterlot is fine, but something is definitely going on in Ponyville."

"We're bustin' you out and coming with you. Hopefully you fare better than Athena or our gooses are cooked," Wedge stated.

The door unlocked. Biggs pulled open the door to the cell.

"What about her?" Luna asked, pointing at the mage.

"I'm asleep. See?" the court mage closed her eyes and pretended to snore.

"She's my cousin," Wedge said proudly.

"General Ares can't decide whether or not to place any bets on you quite yet, but we will. We've spoken with a few other ponies we know we can trust. It should be fairly easy for us to sneak out of the castle and get to Ponyville," Biggs explained. "Here, put this on."

Biggs gave her a bland cloak that she dressed herself in to conceal her identity. It was weak, but it was better than nothing. She was tempted to restore her mane and physical appearance, but that could wait until later.

"Can we count on their support?" Luna asked.

"They did not agree to come with us. It's just us three against whatever it is that's terrorizing Ponyville."

"About that. Let me explain."

Luna told them what she had managed to learn from Discord, but did not mention the theft from the archives.

"A Malum? Isn't that ye olden tongue for evil?" Wedge asked.

"And several other negative adjectives. Before we leave, we will need to stop by the armory. Both of you are not dressed for battle and we most certainly have a fight waiting for us. There is also an item in the armory that I will need to make use of in place of the Elements. Can you take me there?"

"Probably. We should be quick about it, though."

"Then let us make haste."

"Bye, Blossom!" Wedge said, waving goodbye at his cousin.

The three ponies ascended the stairs from the dungeon into the castle. There should have been some guards at the entrance to the dungeon, but Luna had a feeling they were currently in her party. Night had fallen outside. Luna must have slept for eight hours. She wondered how far things had deteriorated, but would not know until she arrived in Ponyville. The armory was on the other side of the castle. So far, their route was deserted. Luna smiled. She was sneaking around her own castle. In a way, it was hilarious.

"Are either of you skilled with a particular weapon?" Luna whispered.

"No. We're on artillery," Wedge replied.

Which was just another way of saying that they were very inexperienced.

"The certification process is rather difficult. We have both tried, but we can't seem to get above a C rank in anything but artillery," Biggs added.

"We're still good enough to be palace guards, though!"

"Out of curiosity, did Celestia organize the army when Discord attacked?"

"Nope. She said not to worry. Twilight and her friends would take care of it."

"Gee, somepony crit failed their stealth roll, didn't they?" a nearby servant exclaimed.

Biggs and Wedge froze in their tracks. Luna's heart skipped a beat for a moment when she thought that she was in trouble. Nothing happened. The two stallions continued more cautiously. There was no more talking. They moved quietly through the castle and stopped once they were in the dining room. Wedge beckoned for Luna to lean in closer.

"This is where we were supposed to make our escape. We didn't know that you needed to stop by the armory," Wedge explained. "I'll take point and motion for you if the coast is clear. If I stick my tongue out, that means abandon ship and get back to the dining room. Got it?"

She nodded. Wedge wandered into the next room and looked around for a moment before gesturing for Luna and Biggs to come join him. They went out into the hallway and moved quickly. Luna took cover where she could and tried to remain in the shadows. A door opened suddenly to their left as they passed the gallery and a guard stepped out. Wedge literally squeaked. Luna wondered if it would be appropriate to render the guard unconscious with her magic even if he was technically sworn to protect her. That would definitely not be virtuous.

The guard who had spotted them took off his helmet and nodded. Her companions let out a sigh of relief. He went back into the gallery without saying a word.

"That's the signal for the ponies in on this," Biggs explained.

"I gathered."

They continued on their way. It felt like it took an eternity to finally reach the armory. Luna continued to hide behind plants and various decorations while Wedge led the way and Biggs watched their back. Wedge motioned for Luna to stay put while he rounded the final corner and spoke quietly with the one guard who had been lucky enough to be stationed on duty there this evening. After a moment, the guard sighed heavily and began whistling to himself as he walked away.

The three ponies stood before the door that led into the armory.

"I never would have pegged you two as social butterflies. I'm glad to be proven wrong," Luna said.

"We know just about everypony on third shift," Wedge replied confidently.

"Be honest, Wedge. Ma'am, we talked to who we thought we could trust and agreed to take the blame if something goes wrong."

"Okay, that colt owes me money, so this is the next best thing."

Luna narrowed her eyes and approached the large wooden door.

"Isn't this locked?" Biggs asked.

She took a step back, closed her eyes, and cast an unlock spell. The door clicked as the lock sprung and she pushed it open.

"You never change, Tia," Luna said to herself.

The three ponies entered the armory. Luna directed an illumination spell at the ceiling to light up the area so they could see where they were going. She looked around for a moment and considered her options. Wedge had his eye on a double sided war hammer while Biggs was looking at a magical sword made out of glass and wondering how exactly it could be an effective weapon. They would probably hurt themselves if she let them use either of them. Luna approached the discus rack and nodded to herself.

"Saddle up and take these. They will always try to return to you and their target can't catch them. They're very easy to use," Luna said, holding the two disks in the air via levitation.

Biggs and Wedge found some saddlebags and helped each other put them on. Wedge took the weapon from Luna and examined it. The disk was silver with a garnet gem in the middle. A mysterious band of blue energy that pulsed constantly was coiled around the item. His curiosity overcame him and he tried to touch it, but there was a thin layer over it that prevented him from doing so.

"It's a metal rod that has been given the power of lightning. The rock in the middle is a seeking stone. That's what gives it the ability to return to whoever has thrown it," Luna explained.

"This must be fairly old," Wedge said, a little surprised.

Ancient, in fact, but Luna didn't bother telling him so. Her guards put away their disks. Luna went over to an aisle that held actual battle armor. This was different than what all the royal guards usually wore. Fashioned out of tinted white iron, battle armor was lighter, included a piece that covered their legs, and could protect against magical spells better than the standard golden uniform. The official symbol of Equestria, a solar eclipse, was on the flank of each saddlepiece, the name used to describe the piece of armor that fit the chest, back, and flank. Best of all, the helmets were barbutes, not centurions. Luna hated centurions because she felt that the brushes on them looked ridiculous.

"Drop all your current armor and put this set on," Luna ordered, pointing at the battle armor.

"You don't have to tell me twice!" Wedge exclaimed excitedly as he threw his regular helmet aside.

"What about you?" Biggs asked.

Luna trotted over to the northeast corner of the armory. She stood upright and placed her front hooves on the cobblestone, casting another spell. Still balanced perfectly on two legs thanks in no small part to the absolutely fabulous network of complex muscles in her haunches, she took a few steps back while the door slid away, revealing another chamber. Luna dropped down and entered. The staff inside floated by itself on a pedestal. It was made out of oak with an orb of alexandrite at its tip. The staff was said to have a mind of its own and would react accordingly when used, much like the Elements of Harmony.

Much like the disks her guards carried, the gem had a lot to do with how powerful the item was. These days gemstones were not what they once were and often shattered when they were infused with magic. They were now commonly used as accessories. Consequently, many of the items in the armory had been there since the dawn of their people.

"Is that a relic, ma'am?" Biggs asked.

"Yes. This is the Staff of Justice. It is the embodiment of a principle, created by a unicorn who upheld it above all else."

Two balanced scales were carved into the hilt of the staff to personify it.

"This will enhance my magical abilities. It will make it easier to turn our opponent into stone if it is resistant to such magic."

"Is it different from the Elements?" Biggs asked.

"Yes. Anypony can use it. The Elements are bound to Twilight Sparkle and her friends."

"Why is it hidden?"

"The Elements are far more friendly than a weapon, wouldn't you agree?"

Biggs nodded.

"They got a Discus of Awesome, by chance?" Wedge ventured.

"There are other weapons, but we will do fine with what we have." Luna replied.

"Wait a second. If you use this weapon, doesn't that contradict another one of the virtues?" Biggs asked.

"I'm not quite sure what you mean."

"How can one uphold justice and be compassionate at the same time?"

"By passing a sentence that fits the crime. You are right, though. It's not technically very compassionate to turn the Malum into a statue, is it? Was it kind or generous to do the same thing to Discord?"

He thought about that for a moment.

"It seems like we use ethics and principles to validate ourselves, both for our own conscience and in the eyes of others. Yet any action can be interpreted in one of a million different ways. In the end, we're all a bunch of hypocrites."

Wedge yawned, but didn't say anything.

"Precisely, and you are very intelligent to be able to realize that on your own, but we can't let the Malum continue attacking Equestria, can we?"

"Will you at least try to reason with it?" Biggs asked.

"Yes, but only if I am given the opportunity to do so. That would be both honorable and compassionate."

"And generous and kind. I'm done with this debate. Thank you for enlightening me, ma'am. Do as you see fit, I will stand behind you."

"Thank you, but do not ever feel that you are obligated to follow me blindly."

Biggs nodded. Luna turned back to what she was doing. Using telekinesis, she armed herself with the staff. It fit fine across her back with a regular strap. She would not be able to fly without taking it off, but that was not really a problem. Her two guards were now dressed in the armor she had told them to wear.

"Two fighters and an alicorn. Those should be good odds. You're trained to fight, right?" Biggs asked Luna.

"I am," she replied confidently. "Staffs are my specialty, both on ground and in the air. I am also very good with magic, as you might have already guessed. As an alicorn, I am naturally more resilient than any other type of pony. No offense."

"None taken. I guess we're overpowered, then."

"Yeah, and that's always a bad thing," Wedge said sarcastically.

"We can go now."

"Any chance we can wear this armor normally?" Wedge asked. "It breathes a lot better than our ceremonial gear."

"I think it would be better to ask that later," Luna replied.

Wedge nodded and took point once again. They went back the way they came. The guard from the gallery was roaming the path he had believed they had taken and took his helmet off once again when Wedge was in view. It looked like he was keeping the halls clear for them. Once inside the dining room, Wedge opened a window and jumped through it. Luna closed the window for him after she was outside. They proceeded around the castle quickly. The patrols were particularly relaxed this evening, with plenty of guards speaking to one another as a way to pass the time. This bothered Luna. While she could sympathize, it made it much easier to get in and out of the castle. They only stopped for more than a minute once.

Just as they were about to reach the front of the castle, Wedge gasped and doubled back. He jumped up on his hind legs and threw a silent fit. That wasn't the signal he said he would give, but the body language was clearly understandable. Luna jumped into a nearby bush. Wedge grabbed her by her mane and shook his head, pointing back to the dining room.

"Wedge, look alive!" Biggs exclaimed.

He broke away from the bush and joined Biggs. General Ares himself appeared, alone. Luna's companions stood to attention. Ares was taller, larger, and older than any of the other soldiers in the army. His centurion had silver bristles, signifying his position as a general. Aside from that, he wore the regular golden outfit even though he technically did not have to. This was where there journey was going to end unless Luna intervened magically. He would definitely be able to tell that Biggs and Wedge were hiding something. A fight with the general of their army seemed even worse than incapacitating one of her guards. However, the general did not seem disappointed to see two of his guards dressed out of regulation.

"What have we here? I suppose you two are quite anxious to get down to Ponyville ahead of Princess Celestia, aren't you?" Ares asked.

Wedge grinned so wide his cheeks hurt. Biggs tried to pretend he wasn't nervous and failed miserably.

"I hope you don't intend to go down there unarmed, do you? What do you have in your saddlebags?"

Biggs immediately took out his disc and showed it to the general. Ares smiled warmly.

"A fine choice. I started on those myself when I was your age. I believe you two will need a lot more than that, though. You need guts. Do either of you have guts?"

"So many. . .I mean so much, sir. General," Wedge replied.

"I'd say the two soldiers who sprung Princess Luna from her cell do indeed have a fair amount of guts."

"We didn't – " Biggs began.

Ares held up a hoof to stop him.

"Come now, I'm not an idiot. Do you think I suddenly decided that I wanted to take a stroll this late in the evening? I know what she's trying to do. It's dangerous, but I don't blame her. I hope Athena was wrong about everything she said. In any case, you two need to be careful. This isn't a training exercise. Carry on and protect the princess with your lives. We'll join you when Celestia returns."

"Sir!" they both shouted.

Luna would need to remember to buy Ares something nice. As Ares left, Biggs and Wedge began trembling violently. Their adrenaline no longer knew where it was needed. Luna got out of the bush and stood between them, smiling reassuringly.

"The gate isn't far from here," Luna said.

"No, it's not," Wedge said, heading forward.

The gate to the castle was open since they were not dealing with a threat. A total of six ponies were stationed here, two in towers while the rest were on the ground. Luna clenched her jaw. Had they really managed to convince six stallions to let her leave with them? If not, they could apparently rely on Ares.

"Don't mind us, just bringin' out a cart of apples, here," Wedge said.

"Without a cart and with no apples. As if we totally can't tell who that is underneath that cloak. You're clearly under the influence of Night Mare Moon," one of them said.

"I would sound the alarm, but she distracted me with her immense, mystical beauty," another stated.

Luna blushed. As they started down the mountain path, Luna looked toward Ponyville, which could be seen from Canterlot. Her vision was quite good in the dark. There weren't any lights on, which was rather unusual. Judging by the position of the moon, it was fairly early in the evening.

"We've got to hurry!" Luna said.

The pace changed as the three ponies rushed down the road. On hooves, it would take thirty minutes to reach the town. She discarded her cloak now that they were safe. Luna cast the spell that would restore her mane and physical appearance while they ran. It occurred to her again that they were definitely in for a fight of some sort. While she knew she was ready, she was not certain how prepared her companions were. They needed an impromptu training session to warm up and Luna knew just how to give them one.

"Stallions, I want to make sure you know how to use your weapons. I'm going to generate a red star in the sky above us. Do not slow our pace and try your best to hit it. To start with, I will make it easy," Luna said.

"Right!" they both shouted.

Wedge dropped his discus as he was getting it out of his saddlebag. Biggs didn't have any problems. Luna waited for Wedge to rejoin the formation before casting her spell. A large red star appeared in the sky above them. Her guards veered slightly as they reared their heads back and threw the disks from their mouths. They both hit it on their first try. Biggs jumped stylishly to retrieve his disk while Wedge skidded to a stop and caught his wrong. The edge pressed up against his uvula, making him gag and spit the disk out of his mouth.

Luna gradually made the target smaller and pulled it away from them. She eventually made it move from side to side. Biggs was a real pro while Wedge had a horrible average and flinched a little when he caught his. At one point he tripped and didn't react in time to catch it as it came back, which almost knocked him out. Wedge shrugged it off and got back on his hooves. What he lacked in combat appeared to be balanced by his commitment to the journey. Once they were sufficiently fatigued, she ended their session and they returned their focus to their endurance.

"You two did a fine job. I'm impressed!" Luna said honestly.

"I'll take your word for it," Wedge said, a little disappointed with himself.

"If I thought otherwise, I would ask you to go back to the castle. I am glad you are with us, Wedge."

"You're one part of a whole," Biggs added.

"Thanks. I'll do what I can."

Up ahead, they caught sight of an earth pony.

"You there! What are you doing out here?" Luna asked.

As they got closer, they could see that she was grazing. Luna looked at her flank and did not see a cutie mark. The pony turned to look at her visitors indifferently. Since this was the first time the two colts had seen what they were dealing with, they reacted accordingly.

"That's significantly terrifying," Biggs said, his eyes wide with fright.

"She's a zombie!" Wedge exclaimed.

"If she were a zombie, she would be trying to eat our brains," Biggs argued.

"Wait. You can still be a zombie and not want to eat brains. The point of being a zombie is being mindless and that's exactly what she is."

"I do believe I stand corrected."

Luna tried again to dispel whatever curse had been used, but was unable to assist.

"Should we try to lead her back to Canterlot?" Biggs asked.

"That would only slow us down," Luna replied.

"What if something comes out of the dark and eats her?" Wedge asked.

She looked around. It was a quiet evening. The wind wasn't carrying any shrieks from Ponyville.

"I don't think that's going to happen. The creatures in the forest have been aware of that barrier for years. They shouldn't know it's gone overnight unless the Malum organizes them, but I don't think it's going to do that."

"What's a Malum and why would something want to eat Berry Punch?" a new voice asked.

They snapped to attention and looked toward where the voice had come from. Mail Mare was there, flying _upside_ down. Luna shook her head and rubbed her eyes with one hoof. Nope, Mail Mare hadn't missed a beat.

"Oh. It's the princess again. Good evening," Derpy Hooves greeted.

"Good evening. We're here to help," Luna announced.

"Me too! I'm helping Zecora and the Cutie Mark Crusaders."

"With what?"

"Evacuating the town. I'm the diversion."

"If you're a diversion, doesn't that mean that you lead whatever it is you're distracting right to us?" Wedge asked.

"I think so," Derpy Hooves replied.

Something ascended into the air behind her. It was a head with an unfamiliar facial structure with two dark voids where its eyes appeared to be followed by several long appendages that reminded Luna of spider legs. In short, it was quite possibly the ugliest thing any of them had ever seen. The beast had something akin to a torso, but most of its form was simply its head. A sparse amount of hair with seemingly no other purpose than to make it look even more hideous covered its body. Levitation kept it in the air as it did not have wings. Wedge threw his discus at it with all his might and missed it completely. Biggs fumbled with his, the unfamiliar surge in adrenaline making it very hard for him to react appropriately.

The Malum scooped up Derpy Hooves by her left hind leg. When it did, Luna took note that it had the ability to elongate its legs to snatch its prey.

"Hello again," Derpy Hooves said to the Malum, one iris slowly turning counter clockwise before it rested at the bottom of her lid while the other swayed near the top.

It ascended. Luna jumped into the air after it. She held the Staff of Justice ahead of her with the use of magic. Luna lashed out, demonstrating sufficient aerial prowess despite being out of practice. Once she scraped the rust off, she would be unstoppable. The Malum was no slouch and managed to keep away from her, barely being grazed by a couple of her attacks. It tried hitting her wing, which threw her off balance and caused her to back away while she recovered.

Before Luna could make her next move, she was abruptly struck right beneath her left ear with a disk, which disoriented her. Wedge cried out in frustration. Luna dropped out of the fight for a moment while the Malum drew Derpy Hooves in closer, wrapping itself around her. An eerie black glow emitted from its body as the air around it distorted, rippling like a twisted mirage. The Malum screeched and threw Derpy Hooves away from it, sending her crashing into the patch of grass that Berry Punch was grazing in. Berry didn't seem to care and kept right on eating while Biggs went to check and see if Derpy was okay.

"Useless animal," the Malum stated, its voice a collection of many.

It faced Luna. The Malum moved in quickly, but was caught off guard by Luna's counter attack. She struck it in the face, which was quite an obvious target. Luna followed this up with four additional attacks, beating it senseless and trying to knock it out of the sky. It tried pulling the staff away from her, but the weapon grew hot in its grasp and burned the skin of the leg that it had used. She called forth the power of the staff, ready to deliver the final blow and intending to end their fight before it ever really began. The Malum slammed into her while she was still casting the spell.

It had her.

Before she could use the staff, her enemy struck the base of her horn several times, leaving a deep gash in her forehead. The Malum then actually tried to rip the horn out of her skull, but that got it nowhere fast. By attacking her horn, it effectively prevented her from using magic. Luna did her best to concentrate, but she could not manage to maintain enough focus to defend herself. She dropped her staff, which quickly fell beyond the reach of her manipulation spell. The Malum tore her tiara off and discarded it. Blood was beginning to leak into her eyes, punctuating how awful her current predicament was becoming. Luna tried to use her wings to get away, but it managed to pin one down.

In a rather fair amount of pain, Luna cursed her overconfidence. This had all been far too sloppy. Their target had plenty of room to maneuver in the night sky. Though this significantly increased how difficult it was to strike, her guards were trying their very best to hit it. Wedge and Biggs both became desperate, but the Malum ascended into the sky far beyond the reach of their disks, still pulling mercilessly at Luna's horn so she would have a difficult time trying to cast a spell.

"Horses. Do not talk. Cannot fly. Do not use magic," the Malum stated.

"I beg to differ," Luna said, struggling to break free.

"Yes. Here. Only here. Fascinating. We reject you. No other world has need for horses like you, but many worlds have need for power like yours. Valuable. Trade. Later. For now, it has a princess. It has the darker princess."

By saying we, the Malum must have been referring to the other sentries that were part of a collective group. When the Malum said it, the thing had been referring to itself specifically.

"Monarch. Diarchy. No king or queen. We will spare the darker princess. One condition. Tell it how to go. Get back. What do the horses use? Moonstones? Machines? The land itself?"

"If you will release the souls of my people, I might consider helping you."

"No. Knowledge. Needed."

"Then we do not have an agreement."

"Unimpressed. Very well. It shall take you now."

"As opposed to later."

"Clever talking horse is clever."

Luna managed to kick it once in the face right beneath the dark void where one of its eyes should have been.

"Then get on with it! I am done speaking with you!" Luna shouted.

The aura returned around the creature. She glared at the Malum's hideous face as it prepared to rob her of her soul. At the very least, Luna had tried her best. She might still find herself subjected to some form of punishment since she failed to solve the problem herself, but that would not be so bad. Twilight Sparkle could defeat this thing. It would only take one blast from the Elements of Harmony. Her thoughts suddenly became less coherent as she found herself assaulted with an immense craving for grass and hay, which were typically only base ingredients for tastier meals. Luna was vaguely aware of the glow that appeared around her body. The Malum drew back one leg and placed its pointed tip on top of the shimmering layer. Her soul formed in the shape of a sphere around the twisted finger, which pierced it like a needle.

She saw her mark appear in the center of the ball. It was a horrifying experience, but Luna was having trouble appreciating it. The Malum opened its mouth and unhinged its jaw. Inside the gaping maw, Luna could see several colorful essences swirling around each other. They looked like little nebulas and were quite beautiful. These must have been the citizens of Ponyville. It probably would drop them off at a central location if it could ever get back to its brood.

Not that Luna cared. She really wanted grass. Now.


	5. Sinner

**Chapter 5 : Sinner.**

The staff she had lost earlier suddenly appeared in the crook of Luna's right forearm.

"I think you dropped this," Derpy Hooves said timidly.

Now in her possession, the staff sensed she was in danger and activated. A bright flash of purple light radiated from the tip of the staff, blinding the Malum. It recoiled and dropped Luna, but not before it pulled away what it had managed to take from her. Most of her soul was in that one little sphere, which was still dangling from the claw of the Malum. Luna struggled to stay focused. There was so much grass on the ground. So much tasty, delicious grass. There was also the obligation she had to protect her people. Food could wait until later. Luna spread her wings, the power of her will alone keeping her on track. She grabbed the staff with her magic and broke her fall, gliding right back towards her target.

Derpy Hooves tried pulling the ball off the claw, but her hooves went right through it. She then bit the Malum's leg and latched on tight. While the creature tried to shake Derpy Hooves off, Luna enchanted her staff to inflict a wound that wound begin turning the Malum into a statue. The rate at which the target would transform always varied. Some seemed to be naturally resistant to it. If she could use the Elements, she would have been able to incapacitate her foe instantly. The spell her staff held would transfer from the weapon to the opponent when she managed to land a hit. Striking the Malum with the same spell a few additional times would speed up the process. If the spell required less energy and concentration to cast, she would have used it immediately. Since it did not, wearing down the Malum was a much better strategy.

She struck the limb that held her soul and it slowly began to turn into stone. Derpy Hooves let go of the leg and flew out of the way. The Malum drew back, screeching in rage. Luna saw her spirit drop from the claw that held it as it was rendered useless. Her lifeblood returned to her immediately, restoring her completely. It was like being born again and caused an enormous head rush. Luna faltered and struggled to maintain her balance in the air. Derpy Hooves flew in front of her and acted as a shield. Luna pushed her aside and took point defensively. The Malum worked quickly to cut off its affected tendril as it fled from the battle. Once it managed to pull off its own leg, it abruptly disappeared, leaving a black haze in its wake that lingered for a moment before evaporating.

Luna gritted her teeth together in frustration. It had teleported away. They had been so close to winning. She hadn't counted on it being able to save itself in that manner. While it was obvious that it could levitate, that didn't necessarily mean it could also teleport. Now that it knew what they were capable of, it might be even more difficult to battle when they found where it had run off to. Tracking it would not be so challenging now that they had a piece of it.

That would need to wait, though. There was something more important to do. Still in flight, she turned to address Derpy Hooves, who was flying upside down again.

"Mail Mare. No, excuse me. I am sorry. Derpy Hooves. I do not believe I can find the words to express my gratitude. If I were to even attempt to do so, I know I would deface them. Instead, I will see that you are properly rewarded for your bravery."

Derpy Hooves smiled and giggled quietly to herself.

"It's not a problem," she said.

"By the way, how did you manage to resist that creature?" Luna asked. "I do beg your pardon, but I was certain that it had you."

"I dunno. I just did. Didn't you?"

"No."

It didn't make sense, which made perfect sense. Did her cutie mark have something to do with it? Luna couldn't figure out how bubbles symbolized immunity to the Malum. Maybe each of the seven bubbles were meant to represent one special thing about her. Luna was thinking too hard about this and she was certain it wouldn't do her any good to ask about the other thing which was bothering her, but she couldn't resist.

"May I back off topic here for a moment and respectfully ask you something unrelated? It might be a personal question."

"Okay. What?"

"Are you aware that you should technically be hurtling yourself to the ground by the way you are flying?"

"Yeah, I hear that all the time. That doesn't happen, though."

That was another bubble, no doubt about it. Luna had five more to peg.

"Let's get back to the others," Luna said.

When Luna reached the ground with Derpy Hooves, Wedge and Biggs groveled before her. She ignored them shortly and looked at Berry Punch, who was staring ahead blankly at nothing and looking bored beyond belief. Her cutie mark was still missing. This meant they hadn't defeated the Malum quite yet.

"Ma'am, I'm so sorry. I have never felt more ashamed of myself in all my life. I failed you," Biggs said.

"We failed you. I feel so vile. I didn't mean to hit you," Wedge added.

"It has been a long time since any of us have been in a fight. You did all you could, which is good enough. I still want you both to accompany me."

"It's all her fault!" Wedge stated, pointing at Derpy Hooves, who lowered her head in shame.

"Wedge!" Luna shouted, using her royal voice. "We ran into her; it was our fault! Do not blindly accuse others to alleviate your misplaced feelings of inadequacy!"

He opened his mouth to say something further, but Luna would hear none of it.

"Silence! You will both soon have the chance to redeem yourselves for the beast has not yet been slain!"

Celestia wouldn't approve of that choice of words. Luna cleared her throat and smirked for a brief moment as if Celestia were listening to her at that very moment.

"Or rather, it has not yet been dealt with," Luna added in a normal tone. "Besides, haven't you forgotten the fact that if it wasn't for you two I would still be in a cell? Get a hold of yourselves! We've still got work to do."

"Ma'am!" they said together, their confidence somewhat restored.

"Go see if you can find my tiara."

Luna felt the area around her horn. The Malum had managed to take a nice chunk out of her. She cast a minor healing spell on the weeping wound and it began coagulating. Luna added another piece of magic that would ensure that it would not scar and covered it with her forelock. The spell would patch her coat properly and relieve her of the embarrassment of having a bald spot, but not for a day or two. Finished with that minor repair, Luna walked over to the severed leg lying in the middle of the worn path. She released the stone spell. The leg twitched for a moment now that its nerves could work once again. Upon finding they no longer had to receive impulses from a brain, the severed limb died. Luna closed her eyes and searched for the signature of the creature, which was not hard to find. With this, she could sense its imprint and track it.

She attempted to get a bead on where the Malum had fled and succeeded. It was in the direction of the Shrine of Nicodemus, which did not come as any surprise. Getting there would require a trip through Ponyville and Applejack's orchard. She heard Biggs gasp and turned to see that Berry Punch had found Luna's tiara and was trying to eat it. Biggs took it from her mouth and brushed the spittle off. Berry snorted and went back to grass. Luna took her tiara from Biggs and placed it back on her head.

They heard the sound of another pony approaching their congregation. Zecora arrived on the scene with a pouch held between her teeth and two saddlebags at her side. One of her earrings was missing and her coat was ruffled, but her mohawk had somehow managed to remain unscathed. It looked like she had been through quite an evening. She looked up at Derpy Hooves first and then at Luna and her guards. Zecora placed the pouch back into one of her saddlebags.

"You have no need for me in the fellowship of these three," Zecora said to Derpy Hooves.

Zecora must have come back for Derpy Hooves once she was certain that the others were sent safely on their way. That was very admirable and Luna was a little impressed. Zecora produced a rope from her saddlebag and tied it around Berry Punch's muzzle. The slight twitch suggested this was the most exciting thing to have happened to her since she lost her cutie mark and most of her mind. Berry Punch didn't resist as Zecora gave the rope some slack before tying it to her right hoof.

So long as they were doing some traveling, Luna decided it might be prudent to follow up on what she had found in the archives. There was a small chance that Derpy Hooves might know something about it since she delivered mail. It would also be nice of her to ask about the ponies who had arrived before them and what exactly had happened to Ponyville that evening.

"Derpy, where are you evacuating the citizens to?" Luna asked.

"Sweet Apple Acres. There's three underground shelters on their property. One of them is inside their main barn. That's where we're taking everypony."

"How long have you been at this?"

"An hour. Maybe two. Three? Dunno. A while."

"Did a pony by the name of Athena arrive earlier?"

"That rude one who dresses like a clown? Yeah. She was in the company of two arch mages. Doctor Gesundheit told her everything and then she went into the Everfree Forest to check out the shrine. She didn't come back out, but that thing sure did."

Wedge started laughing darkly at Athena's misfortune. Luna would wait until after they had dealt with the Malum to go looking for her.

"There were a couple of messengers sent, but we are not sure where they went. Eagerly were we awaiting aid as that foul beast conducted its raid," Zecora said.

"That blasphemy must have gotten to their messengers," Biggs said.

"Don't worry. The one sent by Ares most likely got through," Luna said.

Luna took the piece of cloth from her vest and held it in her hoof.

"Do you know who this belongs to?" Luna asked Derpy.

The rest of the team crowded in to see if they could help. Zecora deadpanned, Derpy Hooves derped, Wedge rolled his eyes and wandered off, and Biggs smiled a little.

"That looks like something out of the wardrobe of The Great and Powerful Trixie. It might belong to somepony else, but I'm pretty sure it's hers since she favors that type of pattern," Biggs said.

"Who is she?" Luna asked.

"She's generally regarded as a public nuisance and has been banned from two settlements, including Ponyville. Trixie is rather notorious. I guess you haven't gotten around to hearing about her yet. Where did you find that?"

"In a spot where she definitely should not have been. I have reason to believe that she stole an important book from the Canterlot library. Do any of you know where we could find her?"

"Trixie has been outside of Ponyville in her wagon for the past few days. I went and got her because that was the right thing to do. She's in Applejack's barn right now," Derpy Hooves said.

That worked out fine since they were headed in that direction anyway.

"Take me to her," Luna ordered.

X

The entourage arrived in Ponyville without another incident. It was clear that the town had recently been under attack. Stealth had not been a general concern of the beast. Windows were its primary target and it had smashed through quite a few of them in the section of the town they entered. Some homes had large holes in their structure where the Malum had either entered or exited. Lamps and decorative banners depicting the crest of the town and the royal seal were strewn across the ground. The streets were empty and most of the remaining lampposts were off. If not for the full moon, it would have been completely dark.

Zecora whistled. A few ponies emerged from their hiding places and began running off towards the farm. Some of them were leading victims to safety while others checked houses to see if anypony needed help. It was quite a gamble. They could take their chances in Ponyville or hide in the crowd at Applejack's barn. Luna wasn't sure which one she would pick if she were in their hooves. According to the survivors, nothing else had come wandering out of the forest quite yet. Just as Luna suspected, most of the inhabitants were not aware that the barrier was no longer there.

Her guards were a real hit with everypony as they made their way to safety. Most of them had never seen one of them wearing anything but the ceremonial outfit. They were also very thankful for Luna's presence. For once, it seemed to have a positive effect on all of them. They knew she was there to help. The growing platoon made it to the countryside. Luna chalked it up to stress, but she could swear that the Everfree Forest seemed to be growing towards the town steadily as it once had now that it was free.

She cast her tracking spell again. The Malum hadn't moved since the last time she had checked. It was probably healing the limb it had lost, which would take some time. A major healing spell would be required to regrow a severed arm or leg. If it could do that, it was no slouch when it came to magic. Luna remained in thought until she found herself standing outside of Applejack's barn. Zecora knocked on the door.

"What's the password?" the muffled voice of a filly demanded.

"There is no password, Scootaloo," another said.

"What if it's a trick? There needs to be a password."

"You can't just go making up rules on the spot. Is that you, Zecora?" a third with a distinctive drawl asked.

"That it is," Zecora confirmed.

The door opened just a smidge before it slammed shut.

"Applebloom, you dummy! Zecora always speaks in rhymes. That's obviously an impostor out there!" Scootaloo exclaimed.

"Zecora doesn't always speak in rhymes. I've heard her say an actual sentence from time to time. It's always really simple stuff, though. Kind of like what she just said right now."

"Well, we certainly are at quite an impasse, aren't we?"

Luna took a deep breath.

"This is Princess Luna and I command you to open this door at once!" Luna shouted.

"Never!" Scootaloo said.

"Sweetie Belle, hold her down."

A scuffle of such ferocity ensued that the dust cloud it kicked up leaked out from under the front door. The door to the barn opened. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo froze in a humorous position long enough to confirm that they weren't being tricked. Luna recognized the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Fillies were generally eager to find their marks, but these three took it to extreme lengths. She had gotten to know them after they had stopped running away from her during Night Mare Night.

Some of the citizens inside bowed down now that Luna was among them.

"There, you see?" Applebloom asked.

"We still need a password," Scootaloo said, still frozen in combat with Sweetie Belle.

"Fine. We'll think of one the next time somepony has to leave," Applebloom said.

Luna expected the barn to be packed full of citizens, but there was still plenty of room to move around. A couple of ponies who had been drained of their souls were wandering around aimlessly or sleeping in their own little group. She spotted the entrance to the underground shelter, which was open. The door looked very thick. If they had to run down there, the Malum would have to dig them out.

"Strange. Where is everypony? Surely there are more," Luna said.

"Our family owns a lot of land. There are other barns on the property nearby, that way we aren't all crammed in together," Applebloom explained.

"Are you here to help us?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"In any way that I can," Luna assured her.

"We were expecting Princess Celestia. Did she get our letter?" Scootaloo asked without any tact whatsoever.

"It would not appear that she has received it," Luna replied, remaining polite.

"See, this is why we need more than one direct line to the princess. We sent a mail mare to Canterlot a few hours ago. We were hoping that she made it there safely," Scootaloo said.

She must not have. Luna didn't bother telling her that.

"You have nothing to fear. I will protect you. We have wounded the beast and we are currently on our way to finish what we have started. However, we are looking for somepony right now. I believe she could be of help to us."

"Well, who y'all lookin' for?" Applebloom asked.

"A mare by the name of Trixie. Is she here?"

"Regrettably. She's. . ." Scootaloo trailed off as she looked toward the back of the barn.

Luna followed the fillies gaze and noticed that the back door was open just a crack.

"Running away?" Scootaloo finished.

"Biggs! Wedge! Move!" Luna shouted.

Luna flung the door open with her magic. Once they were outside, they couldn't see where Trixie had run off to even with the aid of an illumination spell. Luna looked around quickly and spotted an overturned can of sky blue paint and a discarded brush.

"Hey, I want to keep helping!" Derpy Hooves called after them.

She slammed face first into the wall of the barn before successfully navigating outside and joining the party once more.

"Glad to have you. Biggs, Derpy, go left. Wedge, follow me," Luna instructed.

Luna picked the correct path and spotted a mare in the distance running away from the barn as fast as she could. She spread her wings and jumped into the sky. With three strong beats of her wings, she rocketed straight for the fleeing mare. Rather than tackle her and potentially risk breaking something, Luna landed with a sufficient degree of flourish in front of the fleeing pony. She used her magic to temporarily increase the speed of the wind around them and appear slightly more intimidating to the pony she had just chased down.

"You! State your name, mark, and occupation!" Luna ordered.

The unicorn pony neighed in reply and began wandering around aimlessly. She ate a patch of grass raw, gagged a little, and neighed again. Luna could see paint dripping from the flank the pony was showing her. She tried to get around the pony, but the mare kept ahead of her, possibly hiding the fact her other flank had not been poorly disguised. In the distance, she could see a group of ponies heading towards her. This was such a pointless charade. Luna did not need their help to identify her captive.

"I suspect that you have stolen an important book from the royal library. Unless you would rather not have any sort of trial, you will tell me who you are right now!"

The pony neighed again and pretended to eat some more grass.

"This is your final warning."

No response. Luna cast the spell that would turn her captive into stone. The slightest inch of the unicorn's tail turned to solid rock and she jumped up into the air and began screaming hysterically.

"The Great and Powerful Trixie, wand casting a spell, unemployed!" Trixie shrieked, flailing her limbs wildly.

Luna reversed the process, returning Trixie's tail to normal. Trixie landed improperly and crashed into the dirt. Luna took the cloth out of her vest and threw it on the ground in front of Trixie.

"It has been brought to my attention that this belongs to you," Luna said.

"Trixie has never seen that before," Trixie said haughtily, holding her muzzle high in arrogance.

Luna looked at Trixie impassively for a moment. She cast the spell that would turn her into a rock once more, this time focusing the start of the process on her right hind leg.

"Yes! Yes, that does indeed belong to Trixie!" she said, actually trying to shake the spell off herself.

The rest of Luna's entourage arrived on the scene and encircled Trixie just in case she was foolish enough to try to run away. Zecora was absent this time. She was probably restraining the fillies, which was for the best.

"Why did you take a restricted book from the archives?" Luna asked.

Trixie bit her bottom lip and looked around. She was trying to weigh her odds, of which there were hardly any.

"Trixie apologizes. She did not know it would come to this. All Trixie wanted was more power."

Luna scoffed.

"And how did you go about fulfilling this selfish desire?" Luna asked.

"Why should Trixie get herself in more trouble than she already is?"

"Because nothing you say to incriminate yourself will make any of your charges less severe."

"Fine. Trixie managed to do a very successful show in Appleloosa. At times, her performance requires fireworks. She had used some that evening. The next day Trixie went shopping for chemicals and began constructing fireworks in a controlled area outside of the town. It just so happened that the sheriff was passing by while Trixie was busy. He offered to buy some of the fireworks that Trixie was making because he was so impressed with them the previous evening. The sheriff went even further to show his admiration of the Great and Powerful Trixie by asking if she would stop by the local mining company and assist their demolitions department for a few weeks."

"Why would they need your help?"

"Trixie asked herself the same question. The answer was obvious. Before Trixie arrived, those backward idiots were using nitrogen triiodide to expand their gold mine. Can you believe that? How they didn't blow themselves sky high is beyond Trixie. Anyway, they eventually discovered a hidden cavern and asked Trixie to investigate because it spooked them. What she found was a blood pool with a Lich living inside of it."

"And you summoned it," Luna concluded.

"Yes. Trixie kept the miners away by telling them that the chamber was cursed so that she could work with the pool. They were a bunch of earth ponies and they believed her without any hesitation since she is a unicorn. And great and powerful. She digresses. I intended to dilute the pool, but I summoned the Lich to see if it would give me anything in exchange for letting it continue to vegetate in its own trap. That required the bestiary, which Trixie did steal. She left her hoofkerchief behind by accident. Trixie initially did not plan to retrieve it. After all, she believed that she would be unstoppable by now. Obviously that didn't work out."

"What's a Lick?" Derpy Hooves asked.

"I will explain after her story," Luna replied.

"Ironically enough, conjuring the Lich was no more complicated than speaking with a ghost using Star Swirl's Board. The Lich brought forth a strange beast for Trixie to contend with that did not seem very interested in helping her. Trixie responded by destroying the lair she had found with a couple of powder kegs. Nopony swindles Trixie!"

Luna had to restrain herself from attacking Trixie. Instead, she vented by manipulating the weather. Clouds began gathering around the area. Wind blew and lightning danced across the sky as Luna's anger reached a dangerous peak. Trixie looked around nervously. Wedge silently dared her to try running. Luna took a few steps closer to Trixie, towering over her.

"Thou art irrevocably daft, cretin! That bestiary was the completeedition. Without it, we are only able to identify what we remember off-hoof!"

Trixie trembled in fear, but gathered the courage to continue speaking.

"Trixie sealed the cavern with the explosion and diluted the pool. The bestiary is probably buried underneath the rubble. She thought that was the end of it, but that thing escaped. This happened four days ago. Trixie left Appleloosa and journeyed to Ponyville. She was planning on visiting the archives tomorrow to fetch what she had forgotten."

Trixie was so painfully stupid. Of all the creatures she could have tried consulting she had picked a Lich. It would have been safer to go around looking for ancient relics of power in any of the abandoned ruins scattered across Equestria. Even getting a sword away from the loot of a dragon would have been far less reckless. Luna put that aside for the moment and continued her interrogation.

"How far was that mine from Appleloosa?" Luna asked.

"About fifty kilometers. Why?"

"Because if it has indeed been more than a few days since this thing managed to dig itself out of the collapsed tunnel, it might have attacked Appleloosa or the buffalo herd."

Her companions reacted nervously to that possibility.

"We're still getting mail from Appleloosa," Derpy offered helpfully. "I don't know anything about the buffalos, though. They prefer to live a bit more traditionally than us."

"Where was the mine located in relation to Appleloosa? North? South?" Biggs asked.

"East," Trixie replied.

"In the opposite direction of the herd," Biggs said. "They might be safe. Perhaps the creature just wandered around until it eventually found Ponyville."

"You're right, but it still wouldn't hurt to check when all of this is over," Luna said. "Trixie, to get to the archives you posed as me. Is that correct?"

She nodded in reply.

"Impressive. Putting on such a ruse does take quite a bit of concentration. I hope you feel proud of yourself for tricking an innocent old mare into letting you see the book that contains the spell needed to enter that section of the castle. How did you figure out the cypher?"

"Trixie stole one of Twilight Sparkle's notebooks a while ago. It was in there. Twilight had been working on a way to increase the strength of the encryption. The risk involved in getting to the archives did not seem worth it to Trixie until recently."

The weather cleared up and the wind stopped blowing as Luna took deep breaths to calm herself down. She remembered hearing that Twilight and Spike had inadvertently gained access to the archives during Twilight's quest to read every single book in the library. There must have been more than one reason why Celestia had sent her favorite student away from Canterlot for a little while. Twilight had probably filed a police report about her notebook that had been swept under the desk by those who had received it.

"It sounds like you do more than parlor tricks," Biggs remarked.

"Trixie tries to keep it interesting."

"Care to elaborate?"

"She is skilled in illusion, mimicry, and chemistry. Trixie is proficient with black powder. How else do you think she was able to get away safely? A short fuse can go a long way. If she had her effects with her, you might not have been able to catch her."

"What's mimicry?" Wedge asked.

"A mime masters magic faster than any other pony. Also, if Trixie watches a spell performed carefully, she too can cast that spell without having to be taught how to do so," she replied.

Luna was astounded. Mimicry was an incredibly rare gift. Then again, a selfish pony like Trixie wouldn't think so.

"Were you watching what the Lich did?" Wedge asked.

"No, and that is the honest truth. Trixie knew something was up and quickly became engaged in defending herself. Explosives can sometimes be relatively uncooperative when they are needed the most."

"About that Lick?" Derpy Hooves asked, flying upside down so that Luna would notice her.

"A Lich is the undead spirit of a unicorn pony who deliberately took their own life in exchange for unlimited power. They are not bound by morals or feelings and tend to see the living in a rather negative light. A pony that performs this ritual bleeds out in a small pit, which creates their pool. The area they choose becomes their domain and that is where they return if they are defeated," Luna explained.

"Yeah?" Derpy urged, immensely interested in the subject.

"What do you mean by defeated? They can get out and wander around?" Wedge asked.

"Yes. Before the mage becomes a Lich, they typically bring a collection of remains with them that are kept in the pit. They can inhabit the dead body of a pegasus, an earth pony, another unicorn, or even something else entirely."

Wedge laughed.

"Come on. That's the craziest thing I've ever heard. You're joking, right?"

"Why would I lie to you at a time like this?"

"Because you felt like it?"

"What happens when they run out of bodies?" Biggs asked, ignoring Wedge.

"Typically they work hard against that because if that happens they are stuck where they are at unless somepony is idiotic enough to summon one. This insipid cur is very lucky to be alive. It obviously brought forth the Malum to create a husk that it could possess. Imagine if it had succeeded. You would be a living undead, Trixie."

"Why haven't I ever heard of this thing?" Wedge asked.

"It is considered obscure history that is no longer relevant."

"She said that she diluted it. What does that mean?" Biggs asked.

"To destroy a Lich, you must find its pool. You then take a canister of water that has been properly prepared and pour that into the pool. That destroys their spell."

Trixie stomped her hooves on the ground, getting their attention. Her confidence was slowly being restored and with that came her arrogance.

"You all act like this hasn't been done before. Where do you think I. . .where do you think Trixie got the idea?"

"Do tell!" Derpy Hooves exclaimed, eager for more history.

"The Taming of Osiris. Princess, you should remember that story. Do you?"

Luna tried to remember what Trixie was talking about, but she was drawing a blank.

"Humor me," Luna said evenly.

"In the days of your grandfather's reign, Star Swirl the Bearded summoned a Lich to learn about their powers. It was known as Osiris. From it, Star Swirl learned many of the spells we use now to drive away evil spirits. He also learned how to elongate his own life, a secret he undoubtedly shared with yourfamily. There's more. What is the name of the mage who sacrificed himself to keep the monsters in the Everfree Forest from attacking nearby settlements? It escapes Trixie at the moment."

"Nicodemus," Luna quickly answered.

"That's right. So you do know your history. Trixie is pleased. Have you been to his temple? He is dead, yet he is still alive. A living undead. His soul is bound to that single spell. Does that ring any bells? It should. Nicodemus himself is a Lich."

Though Luna had never heard this story, it made sense. If it were true, it would spoil the memory of Nicodemus.

"Where did you hear this?" Luna asked.

Trixie grinned deviously, happy to know something that the princess did not.

"Trixie was not good enough for Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. They didn't want a little mime to make all the other ponies feel awkward about themselves. She was sent to a different academy. The instructor there told her that story. Trixie looked at the book he got it from. It's the truth. Do you know what happened to that book? It was burned. A royal decree ordered it and several others like it to be destroyed. You must have been on the moon at the time."

"That's a really nice story, but it still doesn't change the fact that what you did was stupid. Star Swirl and Nicodemus were far more powerful than you," Biggs said.

"Trixie thinks you're missing the point. That mare you are so dutifully protecting has a sister that has actively sought to censor certain material from her slaves. Does that not make you angry?"

"I trust Luna and Celestia to do the right thing, even if I don't agree with their methods," Biggs replied.

"Yeah, ditto. You're still the reason why all of this has happened. Ma'am, what are we going to do about her?" Wedge asked.

Luna grimaced. She had to be virtuous. Did Trixie deserve compassion? She was a troubled soul, blinded by her narcissism. Luna hadn't even known her for thirty minutes and already she had pegged her with a clear personality disorder. It was probable that she would do something like this again. Ponies typically did not find themselves banished from more than one settlement just for being a public nuisance. Obviously she wasn't learning any lessons, which meant that some form of justice was more appropriate in this case. Trixie should pay for her crimes, which were rather grave. She had stolen and lost a book of restricted knowledge, conjured a malevolent spirit, and unwittingly released a creature that was wreaking havoc on Ponyville.

What would Celestia do? Twilight Sparkle, her precious protégé, had been involved in a fair degree of mischief. She had always been quickly forgiven, even when Spike went on a hoarding rampage and destroyed a few buildings in Ponyville on his quest to acquire as many miscellaneous items as he possibly could. Trixie looked sorry for what she had done, but only because she was being punished. Luna thought about it for another moment before making her decision.

"She's coming with us. Even if she is of no help, she will still have a hoof in correcting her mistake."

"Fine. Trixie will consent to that, but not without her gear. She left her hat, cape, and saddlebags in the barn," Trixie said.

"I wasn't finished. You are now my vassal, Trixie. Once all of this is over, you are being sent back to Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. You'll start out in kindergarten as a student since it does not appear that your grasp on ethics and responsibility is developed enough for you to skip a couple of grades."

Trixie recoiled in horror at the mention of magic kindergarten. Luna knew that would do it. Hopefully the humiliation would humble her.

"Trixie won't be caught dead in magic kindergarten!"

"Good, because you're going alive," Luna said.

"Ma'am, with all due respect this sounds like a reward for her bad behavior," Biggs said.

"Yeah, I thought she would look good next to Discord," Wedge joked.

"She will suffer. I can promise you that."

Biggs nodded and took her word for it, as did Wedge.

"You're in big trouble. I kind of feel sorry for you. That would be like me going back to flight school," Derpy Hooves pointed out.

"It looks like you need it," Trixie sneered, noting how she was still flying upside down.

"Not even Rainbow Dash can fly like that. I think she's doing just fine," Luna remarked.

They went back to the barn to get Trixie's belongings. Trixie didn't seem very thrilled to be among them, but she realized she had been let off easy and wasn't stupid enough to do anything which might change that fact. The door to the barn was closed again. Luna knocked on it.

"Password!" Scootaloo demanded.

"Apple," Derpy Hooves said.

The door opened.

"Wow, that was a complete guess."

"Could you have thought of anything more obvious?" Trixie asked as she pushed past Scootaloo.

"It's times like this that I wish I was a unicorn. She'd make a great paperweight, dontcha think?" Wedge whispered to Biggs, who was inclined to agree.

"Contain yourself, Wedge," Luna requested.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders were watching the entourage with interest. Trixie retrieved her saddlebag and dressed herself in the costume she always wore. Luna noted the blue gem she wore, but didn't allow herself to ask Trixie any questions about it. She tossed Trixie's hoofkerchief on the ground in front of her. Trixie let it remain where it was.

"My sister will burn that if she finds it in here," Applebloom said.

Trixie placed the hoofkerchief in her saddlebag. Luna gathered the team together in a huddle.

"Okay. We're going to fight the Malum. I do hope for the sake of a certain pony that our victory will automatically bring the citizens back to their senses. Derpy Hooves. Zecora. If you believe that you will be of further use you are welcome to accompany us. Do know that this journey will be particularly dangerous. It is your choice."

"I want to be involved," Derpy Hooves said. "I want to be a part of the awesome. I want to be on a sheet of stained glass. Ponies will say 'who's that' and I'll say 'that's me so stop saying mean things about me behind my back like I know you like to do'."

"As you might expect, these ponies I must protect," Zecora said, gesturing to the Cutie Mark Crusaders and the other ponies in the barn.

"We can't go?" Scootaloo asked.

"But. . .but. . ." Sweetie Belle said, attempting to find something to argue with.

"We ziplined!" Applebloom exclaimed.

"We bowled!"

"We caught a blue marlin!"

"Do not fret; you are just not ready for journeys of this nature quite yet."

"Go play with some sparklers and be quiet, you little trolls," Trixie said, retrieving three of them from her saddlebag and giving them to Scootaloo.

"I suggest you improve how you handle children as you will soon find yourself among many of them," Luna said as she walked out the front door.

"Hey, the new password is Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo called.

"We'll remember," Biggs said.

They headed outside and began their short journey to the nearest entrance to the Everfree Forest.


	6. Phantoms

**Chapter 6 : Phantoms.**

Luna tracked the Malum. It had not changed its location. Either it was still busy healing or it was simply waiting for them. Luna wondered if it was capable of using the magical knowledge it had absorbed. If it was carrying offensive magic from a different world, that would only make their next confrontation all the more pleasant. Luna was capable of producing a barrier that was large enough to cover three of them if they were standing next to her, which was not practical. She thought about how they were going to defend themselves. The armor her guards were wearing would stand up to heavy abuse. She didn't need to worry about them. Trixie undoubtedly knew the same spell Luna had in mind. Derpy Hooves seemed to be immune to the Malum, but she wore no armor and was not capable of using magic. Luna needed to focus on protecting her.

As for weapons, Trixie had her black powder and her two faithful guards were armed and ready. Derpy Hooves had picked up a large rock and Luna's staff was still resting comfortably on her back. That was all they had to work with and it would have to do. It was better than nothing. Luna smiled. She was more worried about her companions than she was herself. Compassion was a rather easy virtue to follow.

The Everfree Forest was near. Their target was straight ahead. They were approaching the shrine from the side, so their path would not be marked. With Luna as their guide, they didn't have to worry about getting lost. They heard somepony galloping towards them right before they entered the forest. The ponies stood ready to receive whoever was coming to meet them. Athena burst free from the brambles, followed by two arch mages. She looked absolutely horrified and had undergone quite a beating. Her comrades were in similar shape. One of the mages had lost her clothing while the garb the other wore was hanging on by its threads. Athena didn't seem to notice Luna and her team. She looked up at the sky and began laughing maniacally before doing a brief dance on her hind legs which ended in her collapsing in the dirt on her side. She was happy to be alive. The two court mages recognized Princess Luna and immediately bowed.

"Princess, I am called Red Iris. My partner is Hunter. We are both at your service. May we humbly ask what day it is?" Iris asked.

"There is no need to be so formal. It is Midweek," Luna replied. "Are you injured?"

"Midweek? We were only in there for a couple of hours?" Hunter exclaimed.

"What happened?" Biggs asked.

"It's the Presence! I think it's right behind us. You're all real, right?" Iris asked.

"Of course. You are safe now," Luna said.

"If you say so," Red Iris said, looking back into the forest.

Nothing ever went as planned. This complicated their quest. There were a few reasons why the forest was still declared dangerous and why venturing inside was recommended in groups or in the company of a few guards. One remaining threat was known only as the Presence. Weaker now than before, it was rare to encounter it unless a pony ventured too far into Everfree. Those unlucky enough to be caught by it were sent on a nightmarish journey through various parts of the forest while it toyed with their sanity.

"New plan. Burn down the forest," Trixie said, smiling nervously.

"Better plan. Send ahead a scout. I volunteer Trixie," Wedge said.

"Best plan. We all go in together, we all go out together," Derpy said.

"The princess sides with the best plan and will not hear any arguments," Luna said.

A distinctive, annoying laugh attracted their attention to Athena, who had fully recovered from her cowardice. She sauntered up to them arrogantly and viewed Luna with a significant amount of contempt before turning to her exhausted escorts.

"Mages, incapacitate this mare," Athena ordered, pointing at Luna.

"Why?" Iris demanded.

"She has escaped the dungeon. Surely you have heard what she has done? For all we know, she could be in cahoots with the thing that has ravaged Ponyville."

Red Iris and Hunter looked at each other, completely dumbfounded.

"That's hard to believe. It looks like she's ready to fight it," Iris said.

"Is she? Can any of us be certain? After all, she has spoken with Discord. Would it not best to leave this decision to Celestia?"

Neither of the mages moved.

"Allow me to put this to you in a different manner. If you do not follow my orders right this instant, I will assume you are sympathetic towards her. How would you like to be court-martialed and dishonorably discharged like these two guards will most certainly be? Speaking of which, what are your names?" Athena asked Luna's guards.

"I'm Finn and this here is Randy Butternubs," Wedge replied, crossing his eyes so that he looked like a fool.

"Do not get yourselves in more trouble. That is magical armor you're wearing and you must get permission to have it on. State your names, soldiers."

"Are you deaf? They said their names are Finn and Randy," Luna said.

Athena had a murderous glare in her eyes. She swallowed hard and decided to consent.

"Fine. All of you are now her accomplices. That includes Derpy Hooves and Trixie. I find it fitting that an outcast would build her party with losers like you two."

"Go back to the castle and play princess while you still can," Trixie said.

"But she can't do that. The adviser doesn't have any power of her own. She is just a consultant like you were when you were helping make bombs," Derpy explained to Trixie.

"How do _you_ know that?" Athena asked.

"It's in the mail mare manual."

"Really?" Trixie asked, grinning broadly.

Luna and her two guards nodded. Trixie laughed darkly at Athena's plight.

"My, it would appear you're only good for your silver tongue," Trixie said.

"Iris. Hunter. We are leaving," Athena said.

"Seeing as how my integrity is in question, I would like to offer my services to Princess Luna," Iris said.

"Count me in on that as well," Hunter stated.

"You are coming back with me," Athena said.

"Woe to the useless earth pony who can't find her way back home," Trixie goaded.

"I am honored that you are willing to accompany us even though you are obviously exhausted. Instead of coming with me, I would like you to go to Applejack's barn and see how you could be of assistance there," Luna said.

"What about me? How am I supposed to get home safely?" Athena demanded.

"Surely Princess Celestia's adviser can figure out what she should do from here," Luna said.

"Pullin' rank," Derpy said happily making gestures to enforce what she meant.

"Okay. We shall do that. You're really going in there, aren't you?" Iris asked.

"It has to be done," Luna replied, nodding.

"Good luck, Princess Luna," Iris said, bowing once more with Hunter.

"Why not wait for the Elements of Harmony?" Athena asked, hoping to dissuade her team. "You're putting ponies in danger needlessly."

"It is rather foolish for us to rely on one thing and one thing only to solve all of our problems," Luna replied. "The Malum has caused a good deal of destruction to Ponyville. Who knows what it will do if we don't stop it now? My friends are free to leave whenever they want to. I did not ask for them to help me. They have volunteered to do so."

"Go then. Go meet your doom. I pray that Twilight and her friends are able to save you from the horror you are about to face."

Luna ignored her and continued forward. An immediate surreal sensation came over her as she entered the forest. They had all just stepped into another domain entirely. The forest was unusually beautiful, but that was merely a facade to hide whatever was lurking underneath the illusion. The area abruptly began getting darker. They could still see a full moon in the sky and the vegetation around them was not too dense. Derpy Hooves was even able to continue flying. Trixie cast a spell that lit up the area with a ball of light, which hovered above them in the center of their formation. Derpy became momentarily interested in the ball and poked at it a couple of times before she left it alone. Luna looked back to see if Athena and the other two mages were still visible, but saw nothing but vegetation. She continued forward confidently.

"I guess they weren't kidding when they said trouble was just up ahead," Wedge said nervously.

"It could be worse," Biggs mentioned indifferently.

The lighting was continuing to become inadequate. Luna cast an illumination spell and merged it with the one Trixie had brought forth. This doubled the power of the spell. It should have lit their path up clear as day, but it didn't. As they marched onward, it became unnaturally silent so that all they could hear were the sounds that each of them were making as they walked.

"Help!"

Luna almost jumped out of her skin. That hadn't come from any of her companions. They all turned to see Applebloom hidden in the darkness behind them. She did not bother stepping into the light now that she had their attention. Luna rolled her eyes. This was such a painfully obvious trap. Even Derpy knew something was up. There was no way Applebloom could have been right behind them. They would have noticed.

"The barn is under attack! Come this way! Hurry!" Applebloom exclaimed.

"Nopony move," Luna said.

She stood in front of Applebloom. The filly did not look like she had been galloping, but she did appear rather worried. Luna held her staff in front of Applebloom with the aid of her magic.

"We will go with you, but only if you are able to touch this staff," Luna said.

As Luna expected, Applebloom's eyes rolled into the back of her skull and her mouth dropped open, revealing a maw full of moving black fangs. An unnatural wail emitted from her throat. A large rock went sailing passed Luna's head and landed on top of Applebloom, who turned into dead leaves and twigs. Luna strapped the staff to her back and placed a hoof on the rock. She tossed it back to Derpy, who was still flying and caught it with both hooves.

"Nice throw," Luna said.

"Is that it? Are we safe now?" Trixie asked hopefully.

"No, not yet. Let's keep moving forward. The shrine should be just up ahead."

That was a lie, but they had no reason to doubt her. The Presence already had them. They could be anywhere in the forest. If they were lucky, this would not take very long. Luna pretended that she knew where she was going. They came upon a clearing with a large lake that was completely unremarkable and more than likely uninhabited. She veered right and continued down the path next to it, growing steadily more agitated. If the Presence would show itself, she could end this game quickly. She wondered if it would be wise to provoke it. That might encourage it to become even more devious. Entities like the one they were dealing with preferred to remain hidden like cowards. Luna checked on how her team was doing. Derpy Hooves seemed immune to any form of stress while Trixie looked relatively nervous. Biggs and Wedge started talking to each other quietly, recalling better moments in their lives.

Their tension lessened and they began to relax a little. Luna heard something splash in the lake. She stopped walking and checked to see if the sound had come from a threat and saw something moving towards them beneath the surface of the water. It was impossible to tell what they were dealing with. The ripple it made while swimming through the still water was quite large so it definitely wasn't a bass with enough luck to survive the creatures of the forest.

"Get away from the water!" Trixie screamed as she fled the scene.

"Do not separate from the group!" Luna ordered, pulling her roughly back into the formation with a simple spell.

The team backed away from the lake just as whatever was beneath the surface reached the shore. There was a tremendous splash as a prehensile hand formed out of the water rose up in front them. It grabbed Biggs and pulled him into the lake. Wedge called out for him dramatically, which did absolutely nothing. Luna immediately plunged her staff into the water. The liquid veered away from it much like jelly for a moment before the innate power of the staff activated. The lake began boiling as protective magic spread through the water, seeking out their new adversary. An immense explosion erupted from the surface of the lake, sending water flying everywhere.

"Wedge, get Biggs now!" Luna ordered.

Wedge began taking off his armor so that he wouldn't sink once he dove in after his friend.

"No, keep your armor on! Don't worry, you will be fine! Remember, it's magically tempered!" Luna shouted.

He nodded and jumped into the water after Biggs. Luna cast a repulsion spell that was amplified by the staff. It was merely an incantation meant to drive any sort of creature malevolent or otherwise away from the person casting it. Ponies had gotten pretty good with that sort of magic over the years.

Luna wished there was more she could do. While this sort of magic did hurt the opponent, it failed to leave a lasting impression.

A wave of water formed near the center and broke free from the rest of the lake, throwing itself directly at Luna. Trixie intervened and cast a barrier spell that would shield them from the incoming water while Derpy flew out of the way. A transparent magenta dome covered Trixie and Luna. The wave crashed against the barrier, which held strong. Trixie grimaced and dug her hooves into the ground as the water soaked the earth around them. At the last possible moment, her barrier broke under the strain of the attack. Since she didn't release the spell of her own accord, Trixie was left feeling rather disoriented. Derpy tossed her rock in the lake to no effect and then led Trixie to safety while Luna put more of her power into the staff.

"Yield!" Luna shouted.

Biggs and Wedge surfaced, gasping for air. Derpy flew out to them and offered the two guards her front hooves, which they grabbed eagerly. She beat her wings as hard as she possibly could and managed to glide them over to the shore and help both of them out of the lake. With that finished, Luna pulled the staff from the lake and placed it on her back.

"Run!" Luna ordered.

Trixie was still not in any condition to flee. She was still resting where Derpy had left her. Luna carried her with a spell as they fled from the lake back into the forest. Luna accidentally slammed Trixie's head against a tree. The sound her skull made when it came into contact with the bark made Luna wince. Her hat came loose, but Luna retrieved it and made Trixie hold it in her mouth. Derpy flew close to the ground, navigating the thick vegetation with a series of acrobatic twists and turns that would make even the most seasoned Pegasus pony shake their heads in disbelief.

Luna glanced back at the lake just in time to see another large wave crash against the shore. The water spread out as far as it possibly could. It was a valiant effort, but they were already far from the reaches of whatever controlled the lake. After galloping for another thirty seconds, Luna came to an abrupt halt.

"Stop, regroup, and touch the Staff of Justice!" Luna ordered.

Each pony did as they were told. None of them exploded into compost, so they were all real and accounted for. Luna healed Trixie while Derpy found another rock to use. Biggs and Wedge took off all their armor to shake the water from it. Luna noticed that the water began heading off towards the direction of the lake once it had hit the ground. She stomped on a droplet, which did not stick to her hoof and continued on its merry way once it was able to do so.

"That was nuts," Wedge said as he sat down.

The immediate area seemed safe enough to rest in, although that did not say very much. Luna no longer knew what to look out for. She had never come across any accounts of a killer lake in all the lore she had read. If such a thing existed, she couldn't rule out the possibility that the grass they were walking on might be dangerous. Luna kept herself calm. She was their leader and her demeanor directly influenced their confidence. Showing any hint of doubt was not an option.

She turned to Trixie, who was applying a healing spell to her skull. Luna did not want her act of valor to go unnoticed and now seemed like an appropriate time to point it out.

"Thank you for protecting me," Luna said sincerely.

Trixie shrugged indifferently.

"Thank you for noticing," Trixie replied as she adjusted her hat.

With all their armor off, Luna got the chance to look at the marks of her faithful guards. Biggs had a blue shield while Wedge had two linked red circles that Luna recognized as the symbol for infinity. Wedge caught her looking at it and snickered because he could tell that she was trying to figure out what it symbolized.

"Yeah. It means that nothing is impossible for me. I earned it over the course of a summer rather late in my life. I wanted a new bed and a couple of other things, but my parents wouldn't buy them for me since I was old enough to start working. Back then I was kind of a shut-in because I was still a blank flank, but I gathered up the courage to go look for work and I did a lot of odd jobs. Some of them were specialized, but I was taken in as an apprentice since certain establishments in Ponyville still follow that system because the local government takes community involvement so seriously. At the end of that summer, my mark finally appeared. I was hoping for a ball of fire or something a bit more radical, but I got this instead," Wedge explained.

"What made you want to become a soldier?" Derpy asked.

"I thought it would give me some direction in my life. I just don't know what to do with myself. That's a problem when you can do everything, I guess. I kinda wish it wasn't a two year commitment, but things have been going great so far," Wedge replied. "I love this part of the job. Adventuring, I mean. I didn't think I would, but it's just so cool."

"And what about you?" Luna asked, looking at Biggs.

"This mark actually runs in my family. We protect the weak and have been doing so even before Equestria was founded. I knew that this is what I wanted to do ever since I was a foal," Biggs said.

"Are we going to share our favorite foods next?" Trixie asked. "Trixie grows weary of this awful fun house. How much longer until we get to where we're going, princess?"

She knew it would not work, but Luna attempted to track the Malum. A sharp bolt of pain lanced right through her skull directly into her brain. Luna reeled back and grunted, suppressing a scream. Derpy held her rock above her head and looked around for something to throw it at while Luna's guards quickly put their armor back on and Trixie sighed in disappointment.

"You are no longer my sister!"

Luna's headache disappeared immediately when she recognized Celestia's voice. She knew what this conversation was about based on that one single sentence. An impenetrable blackness had silently surrounded them. A few trees were visible around the edge of the circle they were now trapped in, but nothing beyond that. Even the sky had vanished. Their small prison began looking like the castle at Canterlot. The grass and trees did not change in shape or texture, only color. A flourish of leaves rolled in and began constructing a much more sinister version of Luna and Celestia.

Night Mare Moon was defeated and heavily wounded while Celestia stood tall and victorious in front of her.

"Luna, if you can hear me, I'm sorry. I cannot break your curse, but I will find a way! Until then, I have to send you away from me before whatever power controlling you does irreversible damage."

"You filthy lying mule! You just want me out of the way! You have _always_ wanted me out of the way! Fine, take your chance! Have Equestria all to yourself! Run it into the ground and destroy the memory of our family, you stupid gelding!" Night Mare Moon screamed.

The doppelgangers blew away in a chilly wind that swept through the area, which turned their trap into a bedroom. Gravure magazines were scattered everywhere. Junk was lying carelessly on the floor. Several board games were in the mess, beacons amongst the garbage. Wedge was flung into the middle of the war zone by an unseen force, landing face first on a dirty futon.

"Wedge, you're doing nothing with your life. Why don't you move out of my house and join the army like Biggs did? I'm sure his mother is so proud of him," a new said.

"Mom?" Wedge shouted incredulously.

"Hah, you lived with your parents after you came of age? What a loser," Trixie said.

Wedge face planted and was dragged back to where he had been by his tail. Mocking laughter filled the forest, which transformed into a playground. The silhouettes of three young mares appeared in front of them.

"Derpy Hooves, Derpy Hooves!" the chorus of sinister fillies chanted. "So cross eyed that every time she cries tears fall down her back! Derp for us, Derpy! Derp derp derp! Come on! Just one derp and we won't tease you for the rest of the week!"

"Aww, geez. Not this again," Derpy muttered.

"Ignore it. This is a pathetic attempt to break our spirits," Luna said.

More cold wind and compost blew into the area, changing it into a laboratory inside of a cave. There was a blueprint of some sort stretched across three trees. Several large powder kegs were lying beneath it. Another Trixie appeared in the center of their circle. She was jumping up and down as fireworks exploded all around her. Oddly enough, the strange sounds that normally accompanied Pinkie Pie while she was frolicking were emitting from the double's hooves as she bounded playfully across the lab.

"Pay attention to me! Pay attention to me!" the fake Trixie screamed.

"Oh, please. The Great and Powerful Trixie is not like that at all," the real Trixie said, clearly unimpressed.

"Trixie will stash enough black powder underneath Canterlot to blow it sky high! In the ensuing power vacuum, Trixie will rise above all else and rule with an iron hoof!"

"She only thought of that once or twice. Is this the best skeleton you can find in Trixie's closet? How about trying to insult the fact that Trixie is adopted? She is so over that."

"Trixie is adopted and - " the double began.

"And what?" the real Trixie asked sharply.

Her double stopped jumping around and glared at her before vanishing in a cloud of noxious gas, which did not linger for long. Trixie smiled triumphantly. They all turned to Biggs, who was clearly next. It was impossible to tell what secrets his life held. Morbid curiosity aroused their interest. At any moment, they would all see something embarrassing that he was trying to hide. The tension grew until it finally tapered off slowly. Crickets began chirping. Nothing changed. His expression was unreadable, but he couldn't figure out whether to be happy or sad that the Presence was clearly implying that he was boring.

A wash basin fell from the black sky and bounced off of his helmet. It exploded into dirt after it had served its purpose. Biggs rolled his eyes and took off his helmet, rubbing at his ears to get the ringing echo out of them. Wedge hid his face while Trixie snickered loudly.

"What was that all about?" Derpy asked.

"It doesn't have anything to show him," Luna replied.

"Because I'm boring," Biggs said.

"Given the circumstances, I'd call that an advantage," Luna said.

The darkness above them began looping down the trees like a snake. It did so quickly and when it reached the ground a head of a ram suddenly formed at the end of the serpentine body. The dark red eyes were meant to intimidate them, but at this point their senses had been sufficiently dulled. Derpy tossed her rock at it, but nothing happened. Biggs threw his disc at it, but the darkness separated where the disc would have struck and did not reform until the weapon had made its second pass. The thing regarded all of them for a moment silently. It then dissipated into a heavy black mist that began filling the area up.

"Quickly, grab hold of each other!" Luna shouted.

They did as they were told. The staff grew hot on Luna's back, but did not react. Whatever was happening, they weren't being attacked. After a moment, the black mist cleared. In the distance, Luna could see the shrine. This could just be another trick, so she did not say anything. The mist had once again formed into a serpent with the head of a ram. It was only wrapped around one tree now. With a subtle nod, the creature ascended into the sky, which was now clear, and vanished from sight. Luna had no idea what that had all been about or if that thing had actually been the embodiment of the Presence itself or something else entirely. Equestria had far too many mysteries for its own good.

"Hey, I think we're back on track," Derpy announced, spotting the structure in the distance. "Is everypony okay?"

None voiced otherwise.

"Wow. They certainly didn't spare any expense on that shrine, did they?" Wedge asked.

"What can we expect once we go in there?" Biggs asked.

"The shrine will be a rectangular battlefield with a high ceiling. Nicodemus himself sleeps in the middle of the main chamber. He's in a gold sarcophagus. The lid is made out of plate glass so that he is visible to visitors. We should try to avoid disturbing it if we can. The rest of the structure is built with marble and there's just the one entrance in the front. To show our gratitude for his service, we often deposit gifts inside. Most of the items he cherished in life are also stored in there," Luna explained.

"Yikes, he must have been a hoarder. That shrine is almost as big as the post office," Derpy said.

"It's just very elaborate. They tried to match it with his sacrifice," Luna said. "Don't worry about breaking anything, I'm sure he wouldn't mind. We should focus on keeping the Malum contained inside since it won't have as much room to move around."

"You can't say a cool line and be all like poof you're done after you poke him with your staff?" Derpy asked.

"No. Perhaps with five enchanted staffs and five other alicorns I could, but I do not have that luxury. I suspect that the Malum can use offensive magic. Keep that in mind while we fight. Try not to get too close to its limbs, either. If it wanted to, it could stab us with those. Trust me, they're quite sharp," Luna said. "I want to show you what a regular barrier spell looks like in case you didn't see what Trixie did earlier."

She cast the spell. A transparent blue dome with hundreds of tiny stars encased her, Trixie, and Wedge. Biggs and Derpy had to get a little closer to her to get inside.

"This is the best I can do. It can protect against a physical, magical, or ethereal attack, but it can only do that for so long before it breaks. The mental strain involved in casting this spell is slight, but the force of the attack can leave the caster disoriented if it is strong enough. Biggs, Wedge, you are both wearing the best armor our army has to offer. You have little to fear. Trixie, you might want to stay close to me. You too, Derpy."

The dome vanished.

"Do not get overconfident because we are so well equipped. The Malum will be fighting for its life. Remember that. Please be careful. I want all of you there when the portrait they will make in our honor is uncovered," Luna said.

"Screw that. I'll buy the first round of salt at the Bareback Tavern when this is over. How's that sound?" Wedge offered.

"Sign me up for the buffet!" Derpy declared.

"That's the spirit. Let's give it all we've got," Luna said.

"Trust me, I will. I'm not going to fail you this time, ma'am," Biggs said.

"What he said," Wedge stated, nodding in agreement.

"This is exactly what Trixie wanted to do today," Trixie said sarcastically.

The team walked to the shrine. There should have been stone statues of various creatures that had come a little too close to the hub serving as tacky lawn ornaments, but they were all missing. The double door to the entrance had been destroyed. There was no light inside the structure and they could not see very far inside. They were all prepared to fight, but Luna gave no indication that they should charge inside. Instead, she gestured for them to hold off.

"Stand back, I'm going to try and use diplomacy," Luna said.

Trixie encased herself with a barrier. She made it big enough for Biggs and Wedge to fit inside. Derpy remained in the air, seemingly incapable of wing fatigue.

"Be our guest," Trixie said.

Luna faced the entrance.

"Malum! I know that you are in there! I am offering you the chance to surrender and release the souls you have harvested. Do so and we will do what we can to send you back to the world you came from, even if it means dealing with a Lich. If you prefer to stay here, we could make that arrangement. Should you choose to fight, you will lose. There is no question about that. I will give you a minute to respond."

A red fireball came sailing at her from inside the shrine. Luna set up a shield just in time to absorb the blow, which knocked her back. The grass around her was singed, but the fire dissipated into the air before it had a chance to devour anything. Such a spell ensured that the mage using it wouldn't be caught inside a burning building after they had finished off their opponent.

"I was actually hoping that would have worked," Wedge said.

"All right, time's up, let's do this!" Derpy shouted. "_Princess Lunaaaaaaaa!"_

Derpy Hooves charged headlong into the shrine, fueled by her impromptu battle cry.

"Did she just – " Biggs began.

"Save her!" Luna shouted.

They followed Derpy inside, ready for anything.


	7. Of Valor and Harmony

**Chapter 7 : Of Valor and Harmony.**

The darkness inside the shrine was pierced by the fireballs assailing Derpy Hooves. Luna tossed an illumination spell at the ceiling, lighting up the entire chamber. Derpy was running around in a circle while the Malum tried to kill her. Derpy was completely unaffected by its magical attacks. The fire was still not sticking, but it still should have burned Derpy to a crisp. It attacked by simply pointing at its target with its limbs. Luna noted that it was only using three of them. Either that was its limit or it was pacing itself. The way it used magic looked remarkably different from what the darker princess was familiar with, but their opponent was nevertheless highly capable of manipulating the aura around it into burning orbs of fire.

Surveying the arena, Luna noted that the Malum hadn't been shy. The shrine was desecrated. Above them, the fresco on the ceiling had been completely destroyed. It had once depicted a scene of Nicodemus standing in the middle of the Everfree Forest casting the spell that had ended his life. Now it was covered in scratches and scorch marks. The stained glass windows were broken. She couldn't tell whether or not the sarcophagus had been disturbed as she wasn't close enough to check, but it wouldn't surprise her if it was. Nicodemus' treasured belongings were scattered everywhere. The Malum had even torn up the walls and the floor in its anger. Some decorations were still intact, including a few shelves that displayed the jars of honey that Nicodemus routinely received. His shrine had been one of the most beautiful structures in Equestria and now it was ruined. Luna felt her blood begin to boil. It looked like the Malum was trying to make a lair and had abandoned the effort before it had finished.

Her companions quickly assessed their surroundings while Luna noticed that the leg she had turned to stone had partially regenerated. It ended in a stump instead of a claw and the Malum kept it tucked in near its body. Derpy ducked just as the Malum tried to impale her with one of its claws. It followed through anyway and took a chunk out of the wall Derpy had been standing by. Undeterred, their opponent tore out a block of the marble wall and tossed it at right at Luna. She caught it with a manipulation spell and tossed it right back at the Malum, who destroyed it by swatting it out of the air.

"Quick, somepony say a cool line!" Derpy urged.

"You're going down, Malum!" Wedge shouted.

Derpy clopped her hooves together in approval. Luna couldn't complain. At least they were in good spirits. Trixie manipulated several of her effects in place beneath her cape and ignited them. She aimed specifically at the face of the Malum. Sparks of several colors complete with festive noises flew at their opponent. This attack temporarily blinded her target. Luna assumed that Trixie's cape was fire retardant, which was great because the Malum had impressed upon her that it was somewhat of a pyromaniac. By the way Trixie was standing they could not see the rockets hidden beneath her cape as she continued firing at the Malum like some kind of surface-to-air canon.

Biggs and Wedge threw their discs at it. This time they both managed to hit it since it was busy trying to clear the light from Trixie's fireworks out of its eyes. Two bloody bruises began forming where the discs hit. The Malum backed away until it hit the ceiling above it with a small crash. Debris rained down on them. Trixie's assault stopped while she prepared to reload. Luna jumped into the air with her staff held ready and struck it directly across the face while it was still distracted. The Malum attempted to impale her, but missed by just an inch an only managed to shred a little bit of her coat.

It raised two of its legs in front of itself and cast a spell. A blue orb surrounded by an icy aura appeared in front of Luna. The Malum threw it at the floor, which immediately became encased in ice. Biggs and Wedge lost their footing. Trixie did as well just as she had prepared her second barrage of artillery and sent fireworks flying everywhere. Luna had to dodge a few rockets while the Malum came at her with four of its claws. The ferocity of its attack against her was clearly evident. She was its greatest threat. Luna blocked each attack with the staff and watched as Derpy silently flew behind the Malum. She tossed her rock at it and then latched onto the back of its head, covering its eyes with her hooves. Annoyed, the Malum caused a burst of air to send the two ponies with wings away from it.

Luna fought to retain her balance, which left her vulnerable. The Malum did not squander this opportunity and launched itself at her. Luna dropped out of the air as it slammed into the spot where she had just been. She attempted to break her fall, but failed and hit the icy floor on her side. The ponies that could not fly were still having a very difficult time keeping themselves steady. Helping them would only take a moment. Luna touched the ice on the floor with the blunt end of the staff. It didn't need to be told what to do. The ice exploded upward into various bits and pieces that became water before finally evaporating into the air. When the ice had cleared, Luna noticed that she was right next to where Nicodemus slept.

The spell that had kept him preserved had been lifted. Nicodemus had become very old. This sent a chill down Luna's spine. He should have been dead, but Luna could tell that he was still breathing. His mind had been corrupted just like the other victims of the Malum. Nicodemus was far too ancient to go wandering around on his own and had elected to remain in place until the end finally came for him. The protective plate glass lid had been smashed. If she wanted to, she could nuzzle him.

A horrifying thought crossed her mind. If the Malum was crafty enough, it would take him as a hostage. Replacing the ancient arch mage would not be an easy task. Luna hoped that the Malum would not realize this before they defeated it. She had wanted to take care of this matter quickly, but now she realized that they needed to deal with this threat even faster.

"Look out!" Derpy exclaimed.

Luna rolled to safety before the Malum could grab her. Biggs and Wedge immediately stood in front of her as the Malum recovered from its tackle. It elongated one of its limbs and tried to trip the guards, but they both managed to jump over its leg before their hooves could be swept out from under them. The Malum remained perched on Nicodemus' coffin for a moment while it planned its next move. It suddenly looked down at the pony breathing shallowly beneath it. Luna's heart stopped and her breath caught in her throat.

"Everypony stand back, Trixie is about to be magnificent!" Trixie exclaimed.

She received no reply. Trixie stood on her hind legs and put her front hooves forward. Her face was fixed in concentration. She immediately conjured a huge fireball in front of her that was a bit more powerful than what she was hoping for. Biggs and Wedge cried out in surprise as they shielded themselves and Trixie could feel the heat coming off the ball in massive waves as its power hit her with such force it knocked her lips back and burned the spit out of her mouth. Derpy stopped flying around the shrine and found herself hypnotized by the glowing ball of light. With a little shove from Trixie, it encased the Malum as it jumped off Nicodemus' coffin. It cried out in absolute agony.

She must have been watching the Malum when it was trying to kill Derpy. To see that it was possible was more than enough for a mime of her caliber. She didn't need a sigil or a set of instructions. Magic was merely the manipulation of physics to create a desired effect. This new development meant that Trixie now knew how to cast fireballs and could tell other unicorn ponies how to do so as well. Even Luna wasn't privy to such knowledge. Worrying about that could wait until later.

At first, Luna was positive that Trixie had killed it. The fire evaporated after a moment and revealed that the Malum was still alive. Trixie had burned off all of its hair and a good deal of its skin. It broke away from them, now on the defensive. The Malum cast a major healing spell on itself to keep from blacking out. Several green orbs danced across its flesh, sealing wounds as quickly as they possibly could. The temporary increase of endorphins would enable it to keep fighting, but not for very long.

Derpy Hooves tossed her rock at the Malum, which broke its concentration and stopped the healing spell. Biggs threw his disc at it. The Malum snatched it out of the air and screamed in pain as the disc became red hot in its claw. It released the weapon, which promptly returned to Biggs.

"You're losing! Badly! Give up now!" Luna ordered.

"It would rather die than kneel to a horse," the Malum said.

Luna jumped into the air and charged at it, preparing the spell that would turn it into stone. The Malum opened its mouth, emitting a bright flash that temporarily blinded her. While she was busy trying to clear her eyes, the Malum enchanted one of its limbs with a fair amount of electrical power. It hit her across the face with enough force to knock her out of the air. Her staff siphoned the brunt of the magical attack, but could do little about the physical force behind the abusive strike. She hit the ground hard and shook as the electricity coursed through her body. Her guards and Trixie stood around her while she recovered.

Derpy hit the Malum from behind with her rock again, which did nothing but cause it to scream in frustration. Tired and in enough pain to lose its mind, it turned its attention on the irritating guards with the discs it had problems catching. All of its legs crackled with electricity as it lunged at them. Trixie put a barrier around herself and Luna. Biggs tried bucking it and missed by a wide margin. Wedge didn't move fast enough and found himself at its mercy. The Malum flew above them once more with Wedge held captive.

It sent enough electricity through Wedge to power Manehattan for a year, but his armor held steady. Wedge grinned and laughed nervously when he realized he was still alive and smiled at the Malum, who promptly tore his helmet off. Derpy threw her rock at it again, which the Malum caught and kept. The mail mare tried to get in close to save Wedge, but the Malum kept her at bay. No matter how hard it hit her, Derpy kept right on coming as if nothing had happened.

The Malum finally snatched Derpy out of the air by her wing, tossed her into a shelf full of honey, and threw her rock at her ribs. Trixie dropped her barrier and helped Luna heal. She offered a hoof to the princess and allowed the larger alicorn to lean on her for a moment while they both ran over to Derpy to see if she needed help. Luna was about to cast a healing spell when Derpy emerged from the mess covered in honey. The wing the Malum had grabbed her by looked a little crooked. Derpy grasped it in her mouth and pulled it sharply forward. A sharp crack emitted from her wing as she popped a dislocated bone back into place. Luna was going to provide her with a surge of endorphins just in case, but Derpy was already in the air with a jar of honey in her hooves. Luna joined her.

The Malum put one of its claws on Wedge's head. Before it could kill him, Derpy tossed the jar of honey at it. The Malum made no effort to block the projectile and didn't even wince once the jar collided with the top of its skull. They immediately knew something was wrong when the electricity coursing through its body stopped. It dropped Wedge and let out a horrific cry of pain. It crashed into the ceiling, dragging its head across the fresco, trying to get the honey off.

"What have you done?!" the Malum demanded. "It can't breath!"

Luna saw hives erupting all over its skin and could hear that it was now wheezing noticeably. She smiled, realizing exactly what was wrong with the hairless bundle of joy.

"You're allergic to honey," Luna said simply.

Derpy grabbed another jar of the sweet nectar from a shelf that was still intact. Luna helped Wedge to his hooves while Trixie followed Derpy's lead and began throwing the offerings of honey at the Malum. Its limbs swelled up immediately and soon it was powerless against the onslaught and dripping like a honeycomb.

"Give up yet?" Trixie asked. "Trixie can do this all day."

"Enough!" the Malum screeched.

A strong whirlwind entered the shrine. The force of the gale threw Derpy out of the air while the other ponies braced themselves against the wind. Debris flew everywhere. Trixie and Luna cast shields and joined in a huddle with the other members of their team. The Malum prepared another fireball. It targeted Luna, who lowered her barrier just before it would have struck and batted the fireball right back at the Malum with her staff. As if hives weren't enough, the Malum was now on fire that actually stuck to it. Luna countered the wind with a spell of her own that nullified the gale.

Howling with rage, the Malum bolted for the ceiling, crashing through it and flying blindly into the night. Trixie and Luna's guards ran out of the shrine in a hurry while Luna took to the air in flight with Derpy Hooves by her side. It didn't take long for them to catch up with the Malum.

"Ponies! No offensive magic to speak of! Anamorphic! What a useless world!" it screamed.

Their adversary was flying poorly, still on fire and experiencing anaphylactic shock. The Malum dipped sharply, trying to fly low enough so that Derpy and Luna would not be able to follow it. It went crashing through the trees, breaking down branches and beating itself up further. Biggs and Wedge scored a couple more hits with their discs, causing their enemy to roar in hopeless frustration. The Malum veered upward, but not before Trixie shot it with a few more mortars.

"This is starting to become overkill! It has been through enough! Let me handle the rest!" Luna shouted to her team.

They relented. Derpy Hooves dropped out of the sky. Literally. Luna was sure she landed safely and continued following her adversary. She needed to be careful. This was how it had caught her last time. It didn't matter that the Malum was in less than perfect health this time around. They were still in the sky together and it had never felt so open. The Malum vanished for a moment before reappearing a little higher in the sky. It was trying to teleport away so that it could get a chance to heal. The Malum blinked again several times, unable to get very far since it could not concentrate. Luna followed it higher into the clouds. It launched an array of small fireballs at her, all of which missed.

She wanted nothing more than to turn this thing into a rock and watch it fall out of the sky, but that's not what Celestia would do. She had to be virtuous. She had to show honor and give it one last chance to surrender. Luna wasn't sure how she could ever get along with this beast and help it find its way home, but it was the right thing to do. Then again, so was killing it. Was that not just? Valorous? The Virtues and Elements were so confusing. It was painful to take them so literally. As a gesture of good faith, she summoned a small rain cloud that put out the fire burning through the Malum's skin and even added a mid-level healing spell.

"Last chance, fiend! Will you surrender?" Luna asked.

The Malum stopped trying to get away from her. In a matter of seconds it stopped, turned, and launched at her. Its legs elongated and grabbed her by her front legs. She kept her staff this time and prepared to cast the spell that would turn it into stone. Luna was heading right for the Malum's mouth. It was clearly going to try to bite off her head. Luna quickly shoved the staff into its maw, preventing this grisly end. The sharp tip of alexandrite gem punctured the roof of its mouth and it instinctively bit down, but the staff did not break.

"I'll take that as a 'no'," Luna said.

She put everything she had into her next spell. The Malum began turning into stone with its mouth as the source of the infection. It let go of Luna as its throat seized up. Luna pulled her staff from its mouth and soared high above the Malum while it began panicking. She brought down her weapon in one crushing blow. It began turning to stone more rapidly as it hurtled towards the earth with Luna riding on top of it keeping her staff firmly pressed against its temple. As they fell to the ground, colorful auras containing various cutie marks began leaking from the Malum's stone maw and gathering around her staff.

They broke through the trees and hit the ground hard enough to make a small crater. Luna remained perfectly still with her staff still on the Malum's head. She waited one full minute before she finally allowed herself to relax. Luna observed with a great deal of amusement that some of its arms were still outstretched, which would make it difficult to pose once they found a spot for it in the gardens. Luna also noticed that the souls were leaving the staff and heading back towards Ponyville without her help. Not all of them departed and some were very different from the others. These had to have come from people on other worlds that had no way of going home. This was a problem that she would need to address later.

Luna breathed a satisfying sigh of relief. She looked at the moon and the stars as time stopped. She had won. There was no way anypony could continue to doubt her now. This was a major step on the path to reclaim all of her former glory. It wouldn't be long now until she was once again given control of the night. Yet she couldn't have done it by herself. She owed the ponies who had come with her much more than she could repay. They had risked their lives for her.

Tears began falling from her eyes that she quickly wiped away. She shuddered and controlled her breathing. She needed to be regal about this. Time had determined that her moment was over and resumed. Luna heard her companions approaching and cast a minor healing spell on her face to remove any evidence that she had cried. She strapped the staff to her back and climbed off the statue.

"Poof, we're done," Derpy Hooves declared.

Biggs and Wedge inspected the Malum to make sure that it was incapacitated. Once they passed judgment in favor of their assumption, they stood on their hind legs and gave each other a hearty brohoof. Trixie bucked the Malum once in the face, hoping to chip something off but failing to do any damage whatsoever.

"What are those fireflies doing on your back?" Derpy asked Luna.

"They are souls, not fireflies. I do not believe that they have a way of returning home," Luna said. "Speaking of which, we need to go back to the shrine to see if Nicodemus has recovered."

"What about our trophy?" Trixie asked.

"This thing ain't goin' anywhere." Wedge replied.

Luna hurried back to the shrine, eager to see if their troubles were over. Once inside, she immediately approached his sarcophagus. He was young again and his mark had reappeared on his flank. Luna checked to see if she could sense magic at work and confirmed that a powerful spell was emitting from Nicodemus. The barrier was back in place.

"Nothing is amiss here, but the night is not over. We need to check Applejack's barn. After that, we will need to help locate the citizens who have gone astray," Luna said.

"Princess Luna, if Trixie may be so bold, do you think you could kind of sort of not mention the fact that this was technically all her fault when we get back to Ponyville?" Trixie asked.

"I won't say anything if you walk upright for a full month while wearing a dunce cap," Wedge said. "You'll also need to be juggling three eggs at all times and if you break even one of them I'll tell the entire town that in addition to conspiring against the royal family you also kinda had a little something to do with tonight, which shall live on in infamy as the Night of the Living Zomponies."

"Wedge, it's not fair to prosecute thought crimes and while I appreciate your input, tonight will not be known as the Night of the Living Zomponies," Luna said.

"A thought crime is premeditation. That counts. I would urge you not to treat treason lightly, ma'am," Biggs said.

"Do not worry; she will atone for her sins. I shall see to that. However, I would appreciate it if you do keep some of the things you have learned this evening to yourself, particularly the bit about how Nicodemus might be a Lich."

"What do you think about this?" Wedge asked, appealing to Derpy Hooves reluctantly.

"I was wondering if the Bareback Tavern serves muffins," Derpy said.

"No, I meant about this whole thing with Trixie."

"Who's Trixie?"

"I'm Trixie, you fool!" Trixie exclaimed.

"Hooray for progress! I knew that. See, that time she didn't refer to herself in the third person. I think that when you do that you become detached from yourself. You shirk responsibility for your own actions. You hide behind an identity you create, or something. I can't put it into words. I'm sorry, that doesn't answer your question. Am I going to talk about what she's done? No, Princess Luna said not to. Besides, I don't like gossiping. It's not nice."

"Yeah, I guess I see your point," Wedge muttered.

With that taken care of, they returned to the barn. Luna was still a little worried. Just because Nicodemus had been restored didn't mean that everypony would have the same luck. There was still plenty that could go wrong. Some souls might get lost or even inhabit the wrong body. The door to the barn was shut and she could hear a lively conversation going on inside from where she stood. Everything seemed to be in order. Luna knocked on the front door a few times.

"Rainbow Dash," Luna said, recalling the password Scootaloo had requested they use earlier.

The door was flung open and their entrance was met with great fanfare. Luna remained stoic as they cheered for her, but she was immensely moved. Biggs followed her example. Wedge, on the other hoof, couldn't possibly grin any wider. Trixie tilted her hat down to hide her face. Derpy spaced out for a moment and then shrugged off the excess admiration. The Cutie Mark Crusaders came to meet Luna at the door.

"Did the souls return properly?" Luna asked.

"Yup, they sure did. Everyone is back to normal," Applebloom replied.

"I knew you could do it, Princess Luna!" Sweetie Belle said.

"Can we help look for stragglers?" Scootaloo asked.

"I wouldn't exactly call them that, but do feel free to assist so long as you are in the company of an adult," Luna replied.

"Maybe we will earn our cutie marks doing this. I bet we'll each get a flaming compass!" Scootaloo said.

"Don't get your hopes up, kid," Wedge admonished, glancing at his covered flank.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Applebloom declared.

The three fillies galloped out of the barn towards the town.

"I told you not to go alone!" Luna called after them.

Zecora, Red Iris, and Hunter approached Luna next.

"If only it had been us that had sprung you lose. I was actually the mage who went with you when you voluntarily confined yourself. You might not have noticed as I was in uniform. I will never be able to apologize enough for that," Red Iris said.

"Hysteria favors crowds, Red Iris. It can be hard to make a decision in front of your peers. Think nothing of it," Luna said.

Iris smiled.

"Humility. I see you're taking your lessons seriously," Iris said.

"I like how she avoided mentioning Athena entirely. Speaking of which, where is that ditz?" Wedge asked.

"She left for Ponyville the moment some of the citizens began recovering without saying a word," Hunter explained.

"I wonder if this has humbled her any?" Iris mused aloud.

"Don't count on it," Luna replied.

"You know what I think her problem is?" Iris asked. "I think she's afraid. You were gone for a very long time, Princess Luna. Although I hear that Athena is mostly full of hot air, she still has a position of power. With you back from the moon, Celestia might be tempted to dismiss her."

"You might be right about that," Luna agreed.

Luna hadn't thought of it like that before. Athena just came across to her as a vindictive snob, but perhaps she was actually afraid of losing her job. She would still be a noble and having done work for Celestia she could easily find employment anywhere. If she really missed being an adviser, she could travel to another country and try her luck with their government.

"I'll make sure that those kids are safe," Iris said. "I think I can keep up with them."

"I need no proof to tell you that you will need an extra hoof," Zecora said.

"I'll go as well. They are a lively bunch," Hunter said. "I think they argued about you for at least thirty minutes, princess."

She had to smile at that.

"Then let us all return to Ponyville together," Luna said, eliciting a cheer from all of her subjects.

Luna waited for the other ponies in the barn to leave. She closed the door and began following the crowd back to Ponyville.

"I counted thirty mares and seven stallions. With odds like that, it's unfathomable that I still don't have a girlfriend," Wedge complained.

"We can find a copy of the local census in the mayor's office. With that, we can begin accounting for everypony." Luna said, ignoring Wedge.

Their trip back to town was leisurely. Ponyville was full of activity as the populace searched for their friends and family. They were all working together and did not seem to require any further help from Luna. The mayor's office was near the town square and a line had already been started outside of the building, which was somewhat odd. Luna and her team had to move passed the grateful citizens to the front of the line, shaking hooves and taking compliments the entire way. Inside, a task force had already been assembled. Doctor Gesundheit and Nurse Redheart were among them, making sure none of the ponies had been seriously injured.

Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, and Spike were sitting at a desk marking off names as the citizens arrived to report that they were safe. Pinkie Pie and Applejack were passing out food. Fluttershy brushed passed everyone carrying a bag full of medical supplies. If they were here, that meant Celestia was back.

"Well, I'll be! Look who it is," Applejack stated, the first to notice Luna.

"Good evening, Applejack. Or rather, good morning," Luna greeted.

"Ain't it, though? Word is you fixed this whole thing without even using the Elements of Harmony. Is that true or is Applebloom fibbin'?"

"We managed," Luna replied with a nod, gesturing to her teammates.

"Hey, it's Derpy! Hi, Derpy!" Pinkie Pie shouted, waving at Derpy Hooves frantically.

Derpy Hooves smiled and nodded.

"Pinkie, she's like five hooves away from you. Inside voice, darlin'," Applejack said, flicking both of her ears to siphon out the scream.

"Well, this is certainly unexpected," Rarity stated as she joined the group. "Twilight, dear, take a break and do come here for a moment."

The progress of the line was shortly halted as Twilight stepped away from the desk to chat with the heroes for a moment.

"Who do we have here?" Rarity said, gesturing toward Trixie. "And in the company of the princess herself and such handsome colts, even. One would think she might be at the root of the problem, yet it would appear that she has actually done something to stop it."

"Come on, you've got to give Trixie some credit. She may be just a teensy bit obnoxious, but that doesn't mean she's a bad pony. I'm glad she helped the princess. Trixie, you did a good thing this evening," Twilight said.

Trixie chuckled nervously. Luna checked on Wedge, who was sweating under the strain of keeping his tongue clamped between his front teeth.

"I need to step outside, ma'am," Biggs said, breaking from the group.

"Would you like somethin' to eat first? It's free," Applejack said.

"Yes, that might keep me from saying something foolish," Biggs said, taking a plate in his mouth with an apple strudel on it.

"This caramel apple looks explosive. So delicious, in fact, that you should be charged with treason. I know we've just met, but I can already tell that you're a danger to the public," Wedge said with a series of pained expressions, unable to contain himself.

They all looked at him as if he were crazy. Wedge piled three caramel apples on one plate while muttering bitterly to himself about how much he really needed and followed Biggs outside.

"Long night?" Applejack asked the princess.

"Very," Luna replied, nodding.

"Where's Dash?" Derpy Hooves asked.

"With a search party," Rarity replied. "Clerical work is beneath her."

"That reminds me. Princess Luna, when you get a chance, Princess Celestia is waiting for you at the local library. You remember where my house is, right?" Twilight said.

Luna nodded.

"I had best go there now, then. Keep up the good work and let me know if you need anything," Luna stated.

"You've done quite enough tonight. Let us handle it and go take a load off," Applejack said.

She went outside. Her guards were sitting at a nearby table eating the food they had acquired. Once they saw Luna, they stood to attention. Wedge had to wipe a few crumbs off of his face.

"I need to go see my sister. I wish to do this alone. You are all relieved from duty for the evening. However, I. . ."

Luna paused for a moment and cleared her throat to quell the quiver in her voice.

"I want to thank all of you for helping me. This would have been much more difficult, perhaps even impossible, to do by myself. Biggs, Wedge, I am appointing both of you as my personal escorts effective immediately. DD, I am very happy that we were able to become friends. I would like to get to know you better in the future. Thank you all so much."

Derpy Hooves smiled and nodded quietly. Wedge stood on his hind legs and jumped into the air, pumping his front legs in victory.

"Yes! Finally, a promotion!" Wedge shouted excitedly.

"No problem, ma'am," Biggs said, saluting.

Luna turned to Trixie, who noticed that she hadn't been included in the initial commendations.

"I have heard that Twilight Sparkle recently put the whole town in danger over a doll. I suppose that's similar to what you have done, but far less serious. Despite that, you are a valuable ally. There are very few mimes among unicorns. In fact, you are the first I have ever met. Though you were forced to help, you went above and beyond your obligation to assist. I hope that your incorrigible nature can be lessened because I would much rather consider you an ally than an enemy. It is indeed as Twilight Sparkle has said. I am glad you helped. You did do a good thing this evening."

"Trixie is grateful. She would thank the princess for giving her a chance to redeem herself, but is in no way looking forward to magic kindergarten."

"Play the role of a big sister. Help the other fillies. As I'm sure you know, the physics of magic are rather difficult even at the elementary level. If you help them with that you will undoubtedly make fast friends," Luna said.

"Trixie has no choice," Trixie said.

Luna nodded and addressed the whole group.

"I shall see you all in a few hours for our meeting at the tavern." She said.

Luna left them and headed off toward the library. Twilight's bizarre front door was acting up again. This time she had to pull out to open it as opposed to pushing in. Celestia was waiting inside, reading a book on a chaise lounge sofa. She stopped once she heard Luna enter. Luna was not certain if it was appropriate to bow, so she merely nodded in acknowledgment.

"Did you know they actually had to look up what they needed to do in the absence of the princesses and an adviser?" Celestia asked with a grin.

"You know I've always been more disposed to dealing with problems myself, Tia. It's the only way to be certain that they are done correctly."

"Athena said you spoke with Discord. How did that go?"

"Quite well. If not for him, I'm not sure how long it would have taken to find out what was really going on."

"I can't say I approve, but I suppose it was necessary. The problem is that we owe him for his help now."

"We'll think of something."

"Ares said she conspired against you in front of all our soldiers. Is that true?"

"Regrettably."

"Interesting. She denied what Ares told me."

"I think she acted appropriately given the circumstances."

It took so much effort to tell Celestia that. Red Iris had to be right about Athena and Luna couldn't let her lose her position just because she didn't like her. That would lack compassion.

"That's quite something for you to say," Celestia said. "It looks like you've raided the armory. I see that the Staff of Justice has taken to the former victims of the Malum."

"Yes. It pains me to say this, but I believe they might be stuck here. We could put them in the Ether, but that just doesn't seem right."

"Or we could just release them from this world, which would cause them to go into our afterlife, whatever that may be. Perhaps we could reincarnate them."

"I'm not so sure that would be wise."

"I know. It would probably be best to hold a council regarding that. Did you find out what caused the incident?"

"Are you familiar with The Great and Powerful Trixie?"

Celestia snickered and nodded.

"She dealt with a Lich and has caused us to lose our bestiary. It is still intact, so we will have to retrieve it later. I've made her my vassal and have already passed judgment."

"I'll uphold your decision."

"Good."

"I do hope she closed the ceremony properly."

"She claims that she did, although it certainly wouldn't hurt to be careful when we go to retrieve the book. When exactly did you get back?"

"A few hours ago."

"Did you return before we had won?"

"Yes. Twilight and her friends wanted to help, but I entrusted the situation entirely to you. I would have given you until the morning before sending in Twilight with the Elements. I wish I could have helped, but we are no longer able to fight together. One of us does have to remain behind in case the worst should happen."

"Don't worry. You can take care of the politics all you like. I despise that duty."

"Yes, I do seem to be good at that. I am glad you are safe, Luna. We will need to have a new window made for the Hall of Honor. During the ceremony, I will restore all of your powers. You will once again be in charge of the night and it will be made clear that you are fully reinstated as a princess. Equestria is once again a diarchy. Try to act surprised."

"Thanks. That's actually more than I expected to get out of this."

"Which is exactly why you have earned it."

"So, how did the planning of the new settlement go?"

"I think I would much rather meet your companions and speak with them about their experience under your leadership than let you know how lucky you are that you weren't there."

"That works. We were going to appropriate the Bareback Tavern since it would appear that the community is taking care of itself."

"Splendid. Let's head there, then."

Luna's head was swimming as they stepped outside. She felt as though she might wake up at any moment from the most satisfying dream she had ever experienced. All work must have been canceled for the following day. Only on Nightmare Night was the town so lively at this hour. It was rather bittersweet.

"By the way, what did you learn while I was gone?" Celestia asked.

"That Equestria is not as safe as it once was?"

"Besides that."

"Oh, so you agree?"

"Yes, but let's talk about that later. Don't change the subject."

Her mind was filled with a ton of questions she wanted to ask Celestia regarding that particular topic, but she thought better of it for now since it would sour the celebration.

"I learned that I am a rather poor judge of character. Had you asked me if the two guards who helped me were capable of fighting as well as they did, I would have laughed. If you had said that Derpy Hooves could quite possibly be the best pony I could ever hope to meet, I would have sternly disagreed before tonight. I also did not think that anypony would be stupid enough to try and make a deal with a Lich."

"And the virtue you used the most this week?"

"Valor, because I never gave up. There, sappy enough for you?"

"You're not quite at Twilight's level, but that was pretty good for a beginner."

In the sky, the moon shone brightly. Luna stopped and looked at it for a moment, thinking of the enormity tonight meant to her.

"Homesick?" Celestia asked, grinning mischievously.

Luna scoffed and ignored her. Everything was right in her world. There would be more challenges waiting for them in the future if what Celestia hinted at was true, but Luna would be ready to face them. The fabled Mane Six would have her to contend with now. Luna continued on her way with Celestia as she looked for her friends. She intended to make this night last as long as possible. . .even if she had to convince Celestia to keep the sun down for a few extra hours.

* * *

><p><strong>Closing Notes.<strong>

- I started this project before Luna Eclipsed premiered. I now find that episode particularly memorable.

- I chose Princess Luna as the main character to give the story a slightly darker, more high-fantasy approach. The story originally had nothing to do with Luna since the Mane Six would have handled the problem. In that version, the Malum was far less devious. It stole cutie marks instead of souls and robbed the ponies of their talents and made them no different from any other pony, which caused quite a few identity issues. The solution? One blast from the Elements of Harmony. . .but not before the mane six had to earn back their marks and positions as the embodiments of the elements since the trinkets no longer recognized them.

- Vinyl Scratch and Zecora were supposed to team up with Luna, but that made her party too big.

- Athena was originally supposed to become a minion of the Malum.

- I cannot believe that there are people who caught the not-so-subtle Ultima references so quickly. The virtue system Luna follows is lifted directly from that series. I used it primarily to give Luna a chance to be different from Celestia.

- Minor edits were made in response to the following reviewers : K, Draco Dei, and Mallow.

- I would like to thank Equestria Daily for featuring this story. I would also like to thank everyone who took the time to read this story. I appreciate all the comments I have received.


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